GAF Corporation — and its predecessor Ruberoid Company — manufactured and distributed a broad range of asbestos-containing products including asbestos felt, asbestos millboard, asbestos floor tile, asbestos roofing products, and asbestos pipe covering. The Ruberoid Company had long supplied asbestos-based roofing and building materials before being absorbed into GAF Corporation, which continued to market and distribute asbestos-containing products through the 1970s. GAF asbestos products — particularly asbestos felt and asbestos millboard — were used extensively in naval shore facilities and shipboard applications. GAF’s role as both a manufacturer and a distributor of asbestos products meant its materials reached Navy shipyards, shore installations, and naval vessels through multiple supply channels. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document GAF Corporation’s asbestos products in multiple naval contexts: named product identifications for GAF asbestos felt, GAF millboard, and GAF asbestos floor tile; spray Limpet asbestos in GAF records; pipe covering and millboard documentation; and GAF as a formal asbestos distributor.

Documented Asbestos — GAF Corporation in Naval Applications

GAF Products in Naval Applications

Asbestos millboard and insulation board: GAF millboard was used throughout Navy ship construction for fire insulation of bulkheads, engine room walls, and machinery spaces — a standard shipboard asbestos-containing material installed by insulation and shipfitting trades.

Asbestos floor tile: GAF vinyl asbestos floor tile was specified for shipboard flooring and naval facility flooring throughout the mid-twentieth century — a product encountered by every crew member who walked the decks and spaces of Navy ships and buildings.

Roofing felt and building products: Ruberoid/GAF asbestos roofing felt and building products were used in the construction and roofing of naval shore installation buildings — creating an exposure pathway for shore-duty personnel and construction workers at naval bases.

VA Claims and Legal Options — GAF Corporation / Ruberoid

Navy veterans who served aboard ships or at naval installations where GAF or Ruberoid asbestos products were installed, and who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease, may qualify for:

  • VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance for veterans with documented duty aboard ships insulated with GAF/Ruberoid millboard or pipe covering, or at shore installations with GAF building products
  • Civil claims against GAF Corporation successors based on documented asbestos product sales and distribution in naval contexts

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting service aboard ships equipped with GAF/Ruberoid asbestos insulation or at naval shore facilities using GAF building products
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including named product identification of GAF Asbestos Base Felt and GAF Millboard, GAF Asbestos Floor Tile label documentation, pipe covering and millboard records in the GAF/Ruberoid product context, Spray Limpet Asbestos in GAF records dated 1957, GAF as a formal asbestos distributor, and GAF Corporation as a named defendant alongside Foster Wheeler and Garlock in naval asbestos proceedings. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.