Pipe Covering

Pipe covering is insulation made to wrap around pipes to control heat and prevent condensation. For much of the 20th century it was commonly made with asbestos, molded into rigid half-round sections or supplied as a paste and cloth wrap. Cutting, fitting, and removing it released large amounts of asbestos dust.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Asbestos pipe covering was one of the highest-exposure products of the industrial era, and it's central to many patients' exposure histories, especially insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, shipyard workers, and Navy veterans. Products like Johns-Manville pipe insulation contained high percentages of amosite and chrysotile, and the work of sawing sections to length or ripping out old lagging created visible clouds of respirable fibers. For a claim, identifying the brand of pipe covering at a job site can tie exposure to specific manufacturers, many of which now fund bankruptcy trusts. Bystanders who simply worked near this activity were often exposed as well.

Example Sentence

He recalled cutting asbestos pipe covering to fit around steam lines in the engine room, unaware that the dust settling on his coveralls carried home the fibers that later caused his mesothelioma.

Related Terms

Amosite, Insulator, Bystander Exposure, Product Identification, Johns-Manville

Notes

• Try to recall or document brand names, colors, and job sites; product identification of pipe covering can connect your case to specific manufacturers and trusts.
• Note secondhand exposure; family members who laundered dusty work clothes may also have claims.
• Navy and shipyard records can help establish where and when asbestos pipe covering was used.