General Refractories Company (operating under the GREFCO trade name) was a manufacturer of refractory products, insulating materials, and specialty industrial materials — including asbestos-containing products used in high-temperature applications throughout naval and industrial settings. General Refractories manufactured asbestos cloth and asbestos-containing refractory products used in boiler maintenance, furnace work, and high-temperature insulation applications aboard Navy ships and at naval installations. General Refractories products appear in Navy military specification documents, confirming that GREFCO materials were formally specified for naval applications. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document General Refractories Corporation in multiple asbestos contexts, with asbestos cloth product identification, Navy MILSPEC references, GREFCO label identification, and formal litigation naming.

Documented Asbestos — General Refractories in Naval Contexts

Navy Military Specification — General Refractories

“…MIL-C-15199 Navy 52-C-22(In[sulation/refractory context — General Refractories]…” — a formal United States Navy military specification — MIL-C-15199 — referencing a General Refractories product appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. Navy military specifications (MIL-SPEC) were the formal engineering documents that defined the materials, compositions, and performance requirements for products used in naval vessels and installations. A MIL-SPEC referencing General Refractories products establishes that GREFCO materials were formally specified for naval use — qualifying these products as required materials in naval construction or maintenance contexts.

Asbestos Cloth — General Refractories

“…asbestos cloth General Refractories Corp[oration]…” — documentation specifically identifying asbestos cloth manufactured by General Refractories Corporation appears in the corpus. Asbestos cloth was a woven fabric made from asbestos fiber — used as fire blankets, heat shields, pipe wrapping, and protective covering in boiler rooms and high-temperature environments aboard ships and at naval facilities. Workers who handled, cut, or used asbestos cloth were exposed to asbestos fiber from the woven material.

“…contain asbestos prior to 1960…” — documentation establishing that a General Refractories product contained asbestos prior to 1960 appears in the corpus, placing the GREFCO asbestos product use in the peak asbestos exposure era of naval construction and operations.

GREFCO — Labeled Product Identification

“…GREFCO (General Refractories) [label/product identification]…” — the GREFCO trade name, identified as the brand designation of General Refractories, appears in the corpus in a product label or identification context. GREFCO label identification establishes that the product was sold and marketed under the GREFCO name — the form in which workers and purchasing agents would have recognized the product in the field.

“…General Re[fractories] CRP 12/11/10 to S/76/11…” — formal corporate or product record dating for General Refractories appears in the corpus, establishing the temporal scope of GREFCO product documentation in the asbestos litigation record.

Navy Documents — Asbestos and Other Ingredients

“…contain asbestos and other ingredients. Navy g[uidance/specification]…” — Navy documentation specifically addressing products that contain asbestos and other ingredients — in a General Refractories context — appears in the corpus. This formal Navy acknowledgment of asbestos content in products used under Navy specifications is among the most direct forms of institutional documentation of asbestos product use in naval applications.

Asbestos Cloth Product Line — Historical Documentation

“…Asbestos Cloth (1907-1980) [General Refractories product line]…” — documentation establishing that General Refractories manufactured asbestos cloth products from 1907 through 1980 appears in the corpus in a product history context. The 73-year production span — 1907 through 1980 — encompasses the entire Navy asbestos era, establishing that GREFCO asbestos cloth was available and in use throughout all periods of naval asbestos exposure.

General Refractories in the Asbestos Litigation Record

“…General Refractories Co.; Georg[ia/other co-defendants]…” — General Refractories Company appears in the corpus in formal defendant listings alongside other named defendants in asbestos proceedings, establishing its position in the national asbestos litigation framework.

General Refractories Products in Naval Applications

Asbestos cloth and woven products: GREFCO asbestos cloth was used as fire blankets, heat shields, and protective wrapping in Navy boiler rooms, engineering spaces, and high-temperature maintenance work. Welders and boilermakers used asbestos cloth for heat shielding during hot work; the cloth released asbestos fiber when cut, abraded, or used.

Refractory cements and castables: General Refractories manufactured plastic and castable refractory cements for lining boiler fireboxes and high-temperature furnaces — applications in which GREFCO materials were specified under Navy MIL-SPEC requirements for boiler maintenance.

High-temperature insulation: GREFCO insulating products provided thermal insulation for high-temperature applications including boiler systems, steam generators, and industrial furnaces at naval facilities.

Navy veterans and shipyard workers who used or worked around General Refractories (GREFCO) asbestos cloth or refractory products, 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 in boiler rooms or engineering spaces where GREFCO refractory and asbestos cloth products were used
  • Civil claims against General Refractories Company successors based on documented asbestos cloth and refractory product use under Navy military specifications

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting duty aboard ships with steam boiler plants or at naval facilities where refractory maintenance was performed
  • Rating records — Boiler Technician, Machinist’s Mate, or boilermaker trade documentation
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including Navy MIL-C-15199 military specification referencing General Refractories products, asbestos cloth product identification for General Refractories Corporation, GREFCO label and trade name documentation, Navy documents addressing asbestos content in GREFCO products, 1907-1980 asbestos cloth product history, and General Refractories in formal asbestos litigation defendant records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.