Lamons Metal Gasket Company, headquartered in Houston, Texas, was a manufacturer of specialty metallic and asbestos-containing gasket products for high-pressure industrial and naval steam plant applications — including ring joint gaskets, spiral wound metallic gaskets with asbestos filler, and compressed fiber sheet gasket products incorporating asbestos fiber. Lamons gasket products appeared in Navy steam plant engineering systems aboard destroyers, cruisers, and carriers where ring joint and specialty metallic gaskets were required for high-pressure steam system connections. Navy Machinist’s Mates and engineering ratings installing and removing Lamons gasket products in steam plant flange maintenance operations accumulated asbestos exposure from the gasket handling and removal operations.

Asbestos in Lamons Gasket Products

Lamons manufactured asbestos-containing gasket products in multiple configurations:

  • Ring joint gaskets with asbestos fill — Lamons ring joint gaskets used for high-pressure API-standard flange connections incorporated asbestos-containing packing or fill materials in the ring joint construction. Engineering ratings removing and installing ring joint gaskets in high-pressure steam system flanges handled the asbestos-containing gasket material during each maintenance evolution, with gasket removal and installation releasing asbestos fiber
  • Spiral wound gaskets with asbestos filler — Lamons spiral wound metallic gaskets used asbestos fiber as the conforming filler material between metal wound strips, providing sealing capability at high-pressure steam flanges. Removal of aged, compressed Lamons spiral wound gaskets from steam system flanges released asbestos fiber from the gasket’s asbestos filler as the gasket was broken free from the flange faces
  • Compressed fiber sheet gasket material — Lamons compressed asbestos fiber sheet gasket material, cut to fit specific flange configurations during maintenance operations, released asbestos fiber at the cut edges and face during the cutting and trimming process

Lamons gasket products appeared in Navy steam system maintenance:

  • High-pressure main steam system flanges — the main steam system high-pressure flanges aboard destroyers, cruisers, and carriers in the 1,200 PSI steam plant systems used specialty metallic and ring joint gaskets including Lamons products at connections requiring higher-performance sealing than standard compressed fiber sheet gaskets could provide
  • Auxiliary steam system connections — the auxiliary steam system flanges and connections throughout Navy steam plants used asbestos-containing gasket products from Lamons and competitor manufacturers in routine maintenance operations performed by engineering ratings throughout the ship’s service life

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Lamons Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from gasket maintenance in Navy steam plant engineering spaces. Machinist’s Mates and engineering ratings who performed flange and valve maintenance using Lamons asbestos-containing gasket products and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.