Garlock Inc., headquartered in Palmyra, New York, was one of the United States’ primary manufacturers of compressed asbestos sheet gasket materials, braided asbestos packing, and fluid sealing products for industrial and marine applications. Garlock supplied compressed asbestos fiber sheet gasket material — sold in sheet form for field cutting into custom gaskets — to US Navy yards and vessels for use in shipboard piping systems, valve bodies, pump casings, and mechanical equipment joints throughout naval vessels. Garlock also supplied braided asbestos packing used in valve stems and pump shaft seals throughout naval piping and machinery systems. Garlock’s compressed asbestos gasket sheet was a standard material in Navy engineering spaces used to cut replacement gaskets when flange joints were broken for maintenance and repair. Cutting Garlock sheet gasket material with knives and scissors to fabricate replacement gaskets released asbestos fiber from the compressed asbestos material into the work area where Navy Machinery Repairmen, Boiler Tenders, and pipefitters performed the gasket fabrication.

Compressed Asbestos Sheet Gasket Material and Asbestos

Garlock’s primary Navy product category created direct asbestos exposure:

  • Sheet gasket material cutting and fabrication — Garlock compressed asbestos sheet gasket material was maintained in Navy engine rooms, boiler rooms, and repair facilities and used by Machinery Repairmen and Boiler Tenders to cut custom replacement gaskets for pipe flange connections and equipment joints throughout naval vessels. The cutting of Garlock sheet gasket material with knives, scissors, and gasket cutters released asbestos fiber from the compressed asbestos sheet material during each gasket fabrication operation, with frequent gasket fabrication in active engineering spaces creating sustained asbestos exposure for engineering ratings performing this work
  • Pipe flange gasket replacement operations — Navy engineering spaces required frequent gasket replacement during boiler maintenance, steam line repairs, and mechanical system overhauls. Each gasket replacement operation involved removing the old asbestos gasket, cleaning the gasket surfaces, cutting a new gasket from Garlock or similar compressed asbestos sheet stock, and installing the new gasket — with each step releasing asbestos fiber from the disturbed gasket material and the compressed asbestos sheet

Valve Packing and Mechanical Seal Products

Garlock braided packing created additional asbestos exposure:

  • Braided asbestos valve packing — Garlock braided asbestos packing used in valve stems throughout Navy shipboard piping systems required periodic replacement as the packing compressed and allowed valve stem leakage. Navy Machinery Repairmen repacking valves in engineering spaces cut, removed, and replaced Garlock braided asbestos packing in valve stuffing boxes, releasing asbestos fiber from the disturbed packing material during each valve repacking operation

Garlock products were used in naval shore facility mechanical systems:

  • Naval shipyard and shore facility piping — naval shipyards, naval industrial facilities, and naval shore facility mechanical systems used Garlock gasket materials and packing in their piping and valve systems, with naval facility maintenance workers fabricating replacement gaskets from Garlock sheet stock during shore facility pipe and valve maintenance operations

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Garlock Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy gasket and packing products. Machinery Repairmen, Boiler Tenders, and other Navy personnel who cut and installed Garlock gasket materials in naval vessel and facility piping systems and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.