PPG Industries, formerly the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was a major manufacturer of paints, coatings, glass, and specialty chemicals for industrial applications — including paint and coating products used in US Navy shipbuilding and naval facility maintenance. PPG’s asbestos-containing paint and coating products were used in Navy ship interior and shore facility applications during the period when asbestos was incorporated into industrial paints to provide fire resistance, reduced thermal conductivity, and improved adhesion properties. Navy Interior Communications Electricians, painters, and Damage Controlmen applying and sanding PPG asbestos-containing paints in ship interior spaces and shore facilities accumulated asbestos exposure from the sanding and application operations.

Asbestos in PPG Paint and Coating Products

PPG manufactured asbestos-containing paint and coating products for industrial applications:

  • Fire-resistant interior paints — PPG and other industrial paint manufacturers produced fire-resistant paint formulations incorporating asbestos fiber to provide the paint film with fire-retardant properties for ship interior and industrial facility applications. Painting operations using asbestos-containing PPG paint products in ship interior spaces — an enclosed environment with limited ventilation — created concentrated asbestos fiber in the painting area during application and especially during surface preparation operations
  • Surface preparation and paint removal — sanding or wire-brushing dried asbestos-containing paint in preparation for repainting operations created significant asbestos fiber release from the disturbed paint film. Navy Interior Communications Electricians and ship’s company painting parties sanding old asbestos-containing paint in enclosed compartments accumulated significant asbestos exposure during paint preparation operations
  • Specialty coating products — PPG’s specialty coating product lines included thermal insulating and fire-resistant coatings for industrial and naval applications that incorporated asbestos fiber as a functional component in the coating system

PPG paint and coating products appeared in Navy painting applications:

  • Ship interior compartment painting — the paint systems used in Navy ship interior compartments — crew berthing, machinery spaces, passageways, and working areas — included fire-resistant formulations from PPG and competitor manufacturers; crew members and ship’s company painting parties repainting ship interiors during upkeep and availability periods worked with these products in enclosed spaces
  • Shore facility building painting — the maintenance painting of Navy shore facility building interiors used commercial paint products from PPG and competitor manufacturers, with maintenance personnel applying and surface-preparing asbestos-containing paints in building interiors throughout the naval shore establishment

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to PPG Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from painting operations aboard Navy ships and at shore facilities. Interior Communications Electricians, painters, and maintenance workers who applied or sanded asbestos-containing paint products in Navy ship interior or shore facility applications and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.