Gasket

A gasket is a seal placed between two joined surfaces, such as pipe flanges or engine parts, to prevent leaks of gas or liquid. For decades many gaskets were made with asbestos, because the fibers withstood heat, pressure, and chemicals. Removing or scraping off old asbestos gaskets, often dried and stuck on, released fiber into the air.

Origin

Asbestos sheet and rope gaskets were widely manufactured from the late 1800s through the late 1900s. Brands of compressed asbestos sheet became standard in engines, pumps, valves, boilers, and piping across many industries.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For patients, gaskets are a frequently overlooked but important source of exposure, especially for machinists, mechanics, pipefitters, boilermakers, and Navy engine-room crews. The most dangerous moment was often maintenance, when a worker used a wire brush, scraper, or grinder to clean a hardened gasket off a flange and created visible dust. Because gaskets carried brand names, identifying the ones you worked with can tie your disease to specific manufacturers and to any trusts they later established.

Example Sentence

Every time he replaced a pump gasket, he scraped the old asbestos seal off the flange by hand, filling the air with dust.

Related Terms

Packing, Pipe Insulation, Product Identification, Chrysotile, Bystander Exposure

Notes

• Try to recall gasket brand names and the equipment they sealed; product identification drives which defendants and trusts apply.
• Gasket removal, not just installation, is a key exposure; describe the scraping, brushing, or grinding you did to your attorney.
• Even encapsulated gaskets released fiber when machined; note any grinding or power-tool work.