Owens-Illinois, Inc. was the original manufacturer of Kaylo — the calcium silicate asbestos pipe insulation that became one of the most widely used and most-cited asbestos pipe insulation products in United States Navy ship construction and overhaul. Owens-Illinois developed and manufactured Kaylo asbestos pipe insulation before eventually selling the Kaylo product line to Owens Corning Fiberglas — which continued to manufacture and sell Kaylo as an asbestos-containing product. Both Owens-Illinois (as the original manufacturer) and Owens Corning (as the successor manufacturer) became defendants in naval asbestos litigation arising from Kaylo pipe insulation installed throughout Navy ship engineering spaces. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records specifically identify the Owens-Illinois role in Kaylo production, with a Navy Machinist’s Mate suing Owens-Illinois directly, formal assertion of Owens-Illinois’s defense position, and the combined “Owens Corning/Owens-Illinois Kaylo pipe covering” product identification in the naval asbestos documentation framework.

Documented Asbestos — Owens-Illinois in Naval Litigation

Navy Machinist’s Mate — Direct Lawsuit Against Owens-Illinois

Owens Corning/Owens-Illinois — Kaylo Pipe Covering

AC&S Claim Framework — Owens-Illinois Jobsite

Asbestos Product Manufacturing — Owens-Illinois Identified

Anything Smacking of Asbestos — Owens-Illinois Awareness

Kaylo’s Role in Naval Asbestos Exposure

Kaylo calcium silicate pipe insulation — manufactured first by Owens-Illinois, then by Owens Corning — was among the most extensively documented asbestos pipe insulation products in naval use:

Pipe covering installation: Kaylo was applied as pre-formed half-section cylindrical sections that fit over steam pipes, then sealed with asbestos-containing fitting covers and finishing cement. The cutting and fitting of Kaylo sections released asbestos fiber at the cut face during every installation and repair operation.

Boiler and steam system insulation: Kaylo was specified for steam piping throughout the boiler rooms and engineering spaces of Navy ships — the highest-temperature, highest-pressure steam systems that required the most intensive maintenance and generated the most asbestos fiber during overhaul.

Overhaul removal: During ship overhaul, old Kaylo insulation was removed — a process that involved chipping, cutting, and breaking hardened asbestos insulation from pipe surfaces, releasing asbestos fiber in confined engineering spaces.

VA Claims and Legal Options — Owens-Illinois / Kaylo

Navy veterans — particularly Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Technicians, and Engineering ratings who worked directly with steam piping and Kaylo pipe insulation — and shipyard workers who installed or removed Kaylo, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease, may qualify for:

  • VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance for veterans with documented duty in engineering spaces aboard ships insulated with Kaylo pipe covering
  • Civil claims against Owens-Illinois and Owens Corning based on documented Kaylo asbestos content and failure to warn

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting service aboard steam-powered naval vessels where Kaylo pipe insulation was installed
  • Rating records — Machinist’s Mate, Boiler Technician, or other engineering ratings performing steam system maintenance
  • 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 Machinist’s Mate direct lawsuit against Owens-Illinois, Owens-Illinois defense posture documentation in asbestos liability proceedings, the combined Owens Corning/Owens-Illinois Kaylo pipe covering product identification, AC&S claim form identification of Owens-Illinois as a jobsite, asbestos product manufacturing categorization of Owens-Illinois, and Owens-Illinois internal asbestos awareness testimony. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.