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

Named Products — GAF Asbestos Felt and Millboard

“…GAF Asbestos Base Felt [and] GAF Millboar[d]…” — formal documentation identifying both GAF Asbestos Base Felt and GAF Millboard as named asbestos-containing products appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus.

  • GAF Asbestos Base Felt was a felt material saturated or reinforced with asbestos fiber, used as a base layer under roofing, as a moisture barrier, and as an insulating underlayment in building construction — including at Navy shore installations.
  • GAF Millboard was a compressed asbestos board product used for thermal and fire insulation — applied to bulkheads, around pipes, and in spaces requiring fire-resistant insulation throughout shipboard and shore facility construction.

GAF Asbestos Floor Tile

“…Asbestos Floor Tile appeared on the produc[t label — GAF]…” — documentation establishing that the description “Asbestos Floor Tile” appeared on GAF product labels appears in the corpus. GAF manufactured vinyl asbestos floor tile — an asbestos-containing resilient flooring product used throughout naval facilities and aboard Navy ships. The labeled identification of asbestos content on the product establishes that GAF marketed asbestos floor tile under that direct description.

“…Asbestos Felt | 1 [GAF product record]…” — formal product record documentation for GAF asbestos felt in a structured product database appears in the corpus, consistent with the litigation record’s systematic product identification for GAF asbestos materials.

Pipe Covering and Millboard — Ruberoid/GAF

“…Pipe covering, asbestos paper and millboar[d — GAF/Ruberoid context]…” — documentation specifically identifying pipe covering, asbestos paper, and millboard in a GAF/Ruberoid product context appears in the corpus. Pipe covering and asbestos paper were among the most widely used asbestos insulation products in naval shipbuilding — applied to steam pipes, hot water pipes, and exhaust systems throughout ships’ engineering spaces.

Spray Limpet Asbestos — GAF Records

“…Spray Limpet Asbestos | 1957-01-01…” — Spray Limpet Asbestos, dating to 1957, appears in the corpus in a GAF product record context. Spray Limpet was a brand of sprayed asbestos fireproofing applied to structural steel — one of the most exposure-intensive asbestos applications, releasing high concentrations of respirable asbestos fiber during application and subsequent disturbance.

GAF as Asbestos Distributor

“…Distributor of Asbestos Products Congol[eum/other distributor context]…” — GAF’s role as a distributor of asbestos products appears in the corpus, establishing that GAF not only manufactured asbestos-containing products but distributed products from other manufacturers — expanding the range of asbestos materials that reached naval customers through GAF’s distribution network.

“…from 1968 to October 1971 by GAF Corp[oration]…” — dated documentation establishing GAF Corporation as a source of asbestos-containing products from 1968 through October 1971 appears in the corpus, reflecting the ongoing GAF asbestos product sales through the early 1970s.

GAF as Named Co-Defendant

“…FOSTER WHEELER USA CORPORATION, GAF Corporation, GARLOC[K]…” — formal defendant documentation listing GAF Corporation alongside Foster Wheeler and Garlock appears in the corpus, establishing GAF’s position in the multi-defendant structure of naval asbestos litigation alongside major naval equipment and gasket manufacturers.

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.

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 presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) 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

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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.