E.B. Badger & Sons, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, was a manufacturer of steam surface condensers and heat exchangers for marine propulsion applications, supplying the United States Navy with main propulsion condensers and auxiliary heat exchangers for installation in naval vessel steam propulsion plants throughout the mid-twentieth century. E.B. Badger surface condensers — the shell-and-tube heat exchangers that condensed spent steam from the main turbines back into feedwater — were critical propulsion plant components installed in the engine rooms of Navy surface combatants. According to asbestos litigation records, E.B. Badger condenser assemblies incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at condenser waterbox cover flanges and shell-side connection flanges, creating exposure for Machinist’s Mates who performed condenser tube maintenance in naval vessel engine rooms.

Surface Condenser and Heat Exchanger Asbestos

E.B. Badger condenser assemblies incorporated asbestos at waterbox and shell flanges:

  • Condenser waterbox cover gaskets — E.B. Badger main propulsion surface condensers incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at the condenser waterbox cover flanges providing access to the condenser tube bundle. Machinist’s Mates removing condenser waterbox covers for tube bundle inspection, tube cleaning, or tube plugging encountered and disturbed the asbestos-containing compressed gasket material at the waterbox cover flange faces during each waterbox access operation in the confined engine room spaces
  • Condenser shell nozzle flange gaskets — the steam inlet nozzle flanges and vacuum system connection flanges on E.B. Badger condenser shells incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at the flanged connection faces. Machinist’s Mates servicing condenser steam inlet and vacuum connections encountered asbestos gasket materials at the condenser shell nozzle flanges during condenser system maintenance
  • Auxiliary heat exchanger shell and channel gaskets — E.B. Badger auxiliary heat exchangers incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at shell cover flanges and channel cover joints consistent with mid-twentieth century heat exchanger manufacturing practice

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to E.B. Badger Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy propulsion plant maintenance. Machinist’s Mates who performed surface condenser maintenance on E.B. Badger condenser installations in naval vessel engine rooms and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.