Reeferite (Johns-Manville)

Reeferite was a Johns-Manville marine panel: a sheet of aluminum sandwiched between two sheets of J-M's asbestos-cement Marine Veneer.^1,2 J-M's employee magazine called it "a younger sister to Marinite" in 1961, and in 1967 described it as "an incombustible, corrosion-proof panel composed of a solid aluminum core faced on both sides with sheets of colored J-M asbestos-cement Marine Veneer."^1,2 In sworn answers in a 1969 lawsuit, J-M listed it as marine insulation that "provides rat-proofing."³

When and where it was made

In May 1954, Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, called Reeferite "a relatively new material" and described it as a laminated panel for lining cargo holds, with a light-metal core faced on both sides with an asbestos-cement sheet, 1/4 in. thick in all.⁴ An insurance company's 1981 list of asbestos products, compiled from other companies' answers in lawsuits, gives it as a board made from 1950 to 1973.⁵ A 1990 EPA notice that published what Manville reported gives 1950 to 1974.⁶ J-M's employee magazine said in 1961 that its marine products were made at the Billerica and Nashua plants, and in 1967 that Reeferite was made at Billerica; a 1970 J-M notice also lists it under the Billerica plant.^1,2,7

Where it was used

The 1954 article said Reeferite was used extensively in the refrigeration facilities of the Mariner Class cargo ships.⁴ In 1961, J-M's magazine said it made sanitary sheathing and partitions for refrigerated cargo holds and ship's stores, stowage spaces and food preparation areas, and was also used for exterior awnings aboard ships in place of canvas.² In 1963 the magazine said the liner S.S. United States was built with J-M products, Reeferite among them.⁸

What it was made of

The 1990 notice, in an entry for Reeferite alone, gives asbestos fiber at 25 to 35%, with portland cement, 40 to 45%, silica, 25 to 30%, and aluminum sheet, 1 to 3%.⁶ The 1970 notice from the general manager of J-M's Industrial Insulations Division listed Reeferite among the products to carry J-M's caution label L-4955, which read in part: "THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBER. AVOID BREATHING THE DUST."⁷

Asbestos claims

If you or a family member worked with or around Reeferite (Johns-Manville) and later developed mesothelioma or another asbestos disease, a claim may be paid by the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust. Free case review.

What each document says

Every statement about Reeferite (Johns-Manville) in the documents, in each document's own words.

Kind of product

We list Reeferite (Johns-Manville) with asbestos-cement pipe, board and sheet, from how the documents describe its form. That page explains how such products exposed workers.

Trades that worked with products like it: Carpenters and Construction Workers, Roofers.

See also

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

References

1. J-M News Pictorial, 1967, September 1967 (September 1, 1967), p. 3.
2. J-M News Pictorial, 1961, March 1961 (March 1, 1961), p. 11.
3. The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to plaintiff's interrogatories with exhibits (December 29, 1969), p. 27.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, May 1954 (May 1, 1954), p. 20.
5. The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981) (April 30, 1981), p. 7.
6. Asbestos; Publication of Identifying Information (February 13, 1990), p. 15.
7. M. W. Burleson's Notice to the Industrial Insulations Division on Health Hazard Caution Labels (July 1, 1970), pp. 2–3.
8. J-M News Pictorial, 1963, May 1963 (May 1, 1963), p. 4.
9. Manville Fund's Answers to Interrogatories in Gunn v. Celotex (December 7, 1989), p. 119.
10. The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories with exhibits (March 27, 1970), p. 27.
11. Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects, Volume Two (1986), p. 104. Not yet published in our library.
12. Manville Fund's Responses to Plaintiffs' Interrogatories in Moore v. H.K. Porter (February 15, 1990), p. 20.