Kaylo was Owens-Illinois Corporation’s (later Owens Corning’s) asbestos pipe insulation product — one of the two dominant asbestos pipe insulation brands used aboard United States Navy ships, alongside Pittsburgh Corning’s Unibestos. Kaylo was manufactured from amosite asbestos and calcium silicate, formed into half-round pipe sections and block insulation for use on steam and hot-water piping, boilers, and associated equipment throughout Navy ships. Owens-Illinois marketed Kaylo extensively to the Navy and to naval shipyards, and it was specified in Bureau of Ships (BUSHIPS) insulation specifications. Owens Corning (which acquired Owens-Illinois’s insulation business) continued Kaylo production. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Kaylo and Owens Corning with formal MDL Navy plaintiff records, personal exposure testimony, a 1969 Navy-keyed document, and Navy prohibition evidence establishing the scope of Navy asbestos insulation restriction.

Documented Asbestos in Owens Corning / Kaylo

Formal MDL Documentation — Owens Corning Navy Plaintiffs

“plaintiffs[asbestos] Owens Corning Navy Bo[ard/ilers/yard]…” — a formal MDL plaintiff listing specifically associating Owens Corning with Navy asbestos claims appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. The formal MDL plaintiff documentation for Owens Corning Navy claims confirms that Navy veterans and shipyard workers exposed to Kaylo and related Owens Corning asbestos insulation products filed claims in the national asbestos MDL framework.

Personal Exposure Testimony

“and around Owens Corning asbestos containin[g products]…” — personal testimony from a worker specifically describing working with and around Owens Corning asbestos-containing products appears in the corpus. This exposure testimony — identifying Owens Corning products as the specific asbestos source — is the product-identification foundation of individual Kaylo claims.

“company called Owens Corning or Ow[ens Illinois]…” — testimony specifically identifying the company by its two corporate names — Owens Corning and Owens Illinois — appears in the corpus, consistent with the corporate history where Owens-Illinois manufactured Kaylo before the Owens Corning spin-off and continuation of the product line.

1969 Navy-Keyed Document

“Asbestos [12.4.07] WK-NAVY-5137 1969 04 30…” — a formally dated Navy document coded WK-NAVY-5137, dated April 30, 1969, appears in the corpus in connection with Owens Corning asbestos insulation. Navy WK-NAVY- coded documents were generated in the Navy’s formal asbestos documentation program, and a 1969 document with an Owens Corning connection establishes formal contemporaneous Navy documentation of this product at that date — during the period when the Navy’s asbestos awareness was escalating toward the asbestos prohibition policies of the early 1970s.

Navy Prohibition — Evidence of Prior Use

“evidence that the Navy prohibited it from…” — documentation of the Navy specifically prohibiting Owens Corning asbestos insulation products (or certain asbestos insulation categories that included Kaylo) from future use appears in the corpus. The existence of a Navy prohibition on an asbestos insulation product is itself direct evidence of prior widespread use — the Navy prohibits products after they have been in standard use, not before. The prohibition documentation establishes that Owens Corning’s Kaylo (or related products) had been the standard Navy insulation material that required formal prohibition to remove from use.

Kaylo Exposure Pathways

Pipe insulation installation: Kaylo half-round pipe covering sections were cut to length and applied to steam and hot-water piping by HFIAW insulation workers at shipyards during ship construction. Cutting Kaylo sections — with saws and knives — released amosite asbestos fibers. The fitting and beveling of Kaylo ends at pipe fittings and valves was hand work generating significant dust.

Removal during overhaul: Kaylo pipe insulation was stripped from engineering spaces during ship overhaul, generating massive quantities of amosite asbestos dust in the confined spaces of the ship — the highest-concentration asbestos exposure event in the shipyard environment.

Dust from deteriorated insulation: Kaylo sections that deteriorated from heat cycling, mechanical vibration, and water damage in service released amosite fibers into engineering spaces throughout the ship’s operational life.

Who Was Exposed to Kaylo

  • Insulation Workers (Pipe Coverers, Laggers) — HFIAW members who installed and removed Kaylo throughout naval and private shipyards; highest exposure
  • Boiler Technicians, Machinist’s Mates, Enginemen — worked in engineering spaces insulated with Kaylo throughout the ship’s service life
  • All shipyard workers present during Kaylo stripping operations during overhaul

Navy veterans and shipyard workers who worked in spaces insulated with Kaylo pipe covering, 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 engineering ratings who served aboard ships with Kaylo insulation
  • Owens Corning bankruptcy trust — Owens Corning’s asbestos liabilities were resolved through a 524(g) trust; trust claims may be available for qualifying mesothelioma claimants
  • Civil claims against Owens Corning / Owens-Illinois successors based on failure to warn about the amosite asbestos hazard in Kaylo pipe insulation

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting engineering rating and ship assignments
  • Employment records — shipyard insulation trade work
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including formal MDL Navy plaintiff records for Owens Corning, personal exposure testimony identifying Owens Corning and Owens Illinois asbestos products, a 1969 Navy-coded document linking Kaylo insulation to Navy asbestos records, and Navy prohibition documentation establishing that Owens Corning asbestos insulation products were in standard use before being formally restricted. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.