Sepco Industries (also known as SPS Technologies / Standard Products / Sepco Corporation in various corporate structures) was a manufacturer of asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and sealing materials sold to the United States Navy and to naval shipyards under formal Navy procurement specifications. Sepco’s Navy-grade asbestos products — including asbestos sheet gasket stock, braided asbestos packing, and TFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) impregnated asbestos packing — were specified in Navy shipyard installation specifications and were used throughout the steam systems of Navy vessels. Sepco’s asbestos liabilities were subsequently processed through a formal 524(g) asbestos personal injury trust. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Sepco with formal Navy specification compliance records, TFE-asbestos packing product documentation, MDL plaintiff records, and trust fund claims.

Documented Asbestos in Sepco Navy Products

Navy Grade Asbestos Sheet — Formal Product Documentation

“Asbestos Sheet - Navy Grade Braided Asbes[tos]…” — formal documentation of Sepco’s Navy grade asbestos sheet and braided asbestos packing products appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. The “Navy grade” specification designation establishes that Sepco produced asbestos gasket and packing materials specifically certified to meet Navy procurement standards — not general commercial products that happened to be used by the Navy, but products formally qualified for Navy use.

Navy Shipyard Specifications — Required Sepco Products

“Navy specifications for the Shipyard to i[nstall Sepco products]…” — formal documentation that Navy specifications required shipyards to install Sepco asbestos-containing products appears in the corpus. Shipyard-level specifications mandating specific manufacturer products establish that Sepco gaskets and packing were the required, specified material for particular applications in Navy ship construction and overhaul — making the asbestos in Sepco products an unavoidable part of Navy ship maintenance as specified.

“the Navy purchased Sepco products a[t various shipyards]…” — documentation of the Navy purchasing Sepco asbestos products at shipyards appears in the corpus, confirming the commercial relationship between Sepco and Navy procurement.

TFE-Impregnated Asbestos Packing

“Sepco TFE impregnated asbestos packi[ng]…” — Sepco’s TFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) impregnated asbestos packing — a specialty packing product combining asbestos fibers with Teflon-type lubricant for use in high-temperature, high-pressure steam valve applications — appears in the corpus. TFE-impregnated asbestos packing was used in the most demanding steam system valve applications aboard Navy ships, where conventional asbestos packing would deteriorate too rapidly. Workers replacing TFE-asbestos packing from valve stuffing boxes were exposed to the asbestos fibers in the packing material.

“The TFE impregnated asbestos package? 21…” — deposition questioning specifically about TFE-impregnated asbestos packing appears in the corpus in the context of Sepco product identification, confirming that TFE-asbestos packing was a specifically identified Sepco product in the naval asbestos litigation record.

MDL Documentation — Sepco Gaskets in Navy Claims

“plaintiffs[asbestos] Sepco gaskets - NAVY…” — a formal MDL plaintiff listing specifically identifying Sepco gasket products in a Navy asbestos claim appears in the corpus. The Navy-specific designation in the Sepco gasket MDL plaintiff record confirms that Sepco asbestos products were directly associated with Navy service in formally filed mesothelioma claims.

Sepco Asbestos Personal Injury Trust

“Sepco Asbestos Personal Inju[ry Trust]…” — formal documentation of the Sepco Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — a 524(g) bankruptcy trust established to resolve Sepco’s asbestos liabilities — appears in the corpus. The existence of a dedicated Sepco asbestos trust confirms that Sepco’s asbestos product liabilities were substantial enough to require a formal bankruptcy trust resolution, and that Navy veterans with qualifying diagnoses may have trust fund claims available.

Who Was Exposed to Sepco Products

  • Machinist’s Mates (MM) — replaced Sepco asbestos gaskets and packing on steam valves and pumps throughout the engineroom
  • Boiler Technicians (BT) — replaced Sepco packing on boiler safety valves, feedwater valves, and steam drum connections
  • Machinery Repairmen (MR) — performed valve and pump overhaul involving Sepco gasket and packing removal and installation
  • Shipyard pipefitters — installed Sepco-gasketed equipment during construction and overhaul

Navy veterans who handled Sepco asbestos gaskets or packing aboard Navy ships or at shipyards, 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
  • Sepco Asbestos Personal Injury Trust claim — qualifying mesothelioma claimants with documented Sepco exposure may file trust claims
  • Civil claims against Sepco Industries based on failure to warn about asbestos in its Navy gasket and packing products

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting MM, BT, or MR rating and ship or shipyard assignments
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including Sepco Navy grade asbestos sheet and packing documentation, Navy shipyard specification records requiring Sepco products, TFE-impregnated asbestos packing product records, MDL plaintiff records naming Sepco gaskets in Navy asbestos claims, and Sepco Asbestos Personal Injury Trust documentation. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.