Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company (PDM), with operations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Des Moines, Iowa, was a major manufacturer of industrial pressure vessels, storage tanks, structural steel components, and specialized steel fabrications for petroleum refining, chemical processing, and military applications. PDM supplied the US Navy with pressure vessels and storage tanks for shipboard fuel storage, fresh water storage, and other fluid storage applications. PDM pressure vessels and storage tanks incorporated asbestos-containing gasket materials in the flange connections, nozzle connections, and manhole and handhole access openings of these pressure containment structures. Navy engineering ratings performing pressure vessel inspections, tank cleaning operations, and flange maintenance on PDM equipment accumulated asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing gasket materials at the vessel connections.

Asbestos in PDM Naval Products

PDM pressure vessels and tanks incorporated asbestos in sealing components:

  • Pressure vessel and tank flange gaskets — the flanged nozzle connections on PDM pressure vessels and storage tanks used asbestos-containing compressed fiber gaskets for sealing the fluid connections to the vessel. Navy ratings removing piping connections from PDM vessels during maintenance operations encountered asbestos-containing flange gasket materials at each flanged connection
  • Manhole and handhole cover gaskets — the manhole and handhole access openings in PDM tanks and pressure vessels used asbestos-containing spiral wound or flat compressed fiber gaskets for the access cover seals. Engineering ratings opening tank access covers for internal inspection and cleaning encountered asbestos gasket materials at each cover opening operation
  • Thermal insulation on PDM equipment — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation was applied to the exterior surfaces of PDM pressure vessels and storage tanks in heated service applications, with engineering ratings working around this asbestos insulation during equipment maintenance

PDM equipment appeared in Navy ship fuel and storage systems:

  • Fuel oil and fresh water storage tanks — Navy ships maintained numerous fuel oil and fresh water storage tanks, with the associated pressure vessels and storage tanks using gasket materials and insulation materials from PDM and other manufacturers in the tank construction

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to PDM Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from pressure vessel and tank maintenance. Navy engineering ratings who performed tank and pressure vessel maintenance on PDM equipment with asbestos gasket materials and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.