19 (Combustion Engineering)

No. 19 was an insulating block made by R & I Refractory and Insulation Corporation, a subsidiary of Combustion Engineering, Inc.¹ In sworn answers given in a lawsuit in February 1968, R & I and Combustion Engineering described No. 19 insulating blocks as "comprised of expanded vermiculite, cement and diatomaceous clay," naming no asbestos.² Combustion Engineering's own answers in two later lawsuits, in December 1969 and March 1970, give the same ingredients, again with no asbestos, and say the blocks were packaged in cardboard cartons of about 3 cubic feet.^1,3

An insurance company's 1981 list of asbestos products, compiled from other companies' answers in lawsuits, gives a different picture: it lists block No. 19 under Combustion Engineering as made from 1963 to 1966, with 4.6 in the column read as percent asbestos.⁴ The sworn answers give different years too: the 1968 answers say R & I made the blocks "Prior to the year 1959, but not since such year," and the 1969 and 1970 answers say from before 1940 "until the year 1959, but not since."^1,2,3

Asbestos claims

If you or a family member worked with or around 19 (Combustion Engineering) and later developed mesothelioma or another asbestos disease, a claim may be paid by the Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust. Free case review.

What each document says

Every statement about 19 (Combustion Engineering) in the documents, in each document's own words.

Kind of product

We list 19 (Combustion Engineering) with pipe covering and block insulation, from how the documents describe its form. That page explains how such products exposed workers.

Trades that worked with products like it: Insulators and Insulation Workers, Pipefitters and Plumbers.

See also

• Combustion Engineering: the company's history, documents, people, products and plants
• Combustion Engineering on our products page: what the documents say about the company's asbestos products, with sources

References

1. The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories (March 30, 1970), pp. 3–4.
2. The Tomplait v. Combustion Engineering Case File (1962-1969), Response to plaintiff's interrogatories (February 14, 1968), p. 3.
3. The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories under Rule 33 (December 23, 1969), pp. 3–4.
4. The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981) (April 30, 1981), p. 10.