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Insutube (Unarco)

Insutube was a slip-on pipe insulation sold by Union Asbestos & Rubber Company (Unarco).1,2 In sworn answers in two lawsuits in 1969 and 1970, Unarco described it as "a slip-on insulation consisting of a braided asbestos core, fibrous glass insulating medium and a braided asbestos jacket," supplied with or without a Neoprene coating on the exterior jacket.3,4 A June 1962 purchase agreement between Pittsburgh Corning and Unarco lists Insutube among the "insulating and packing products, containing asbestos, which UNION sells," and acknowledges that Unarco would go on selling them.5

Unarco filed for the Insutube trade-mark on September 18, 1942, "For Thermal Pipe Insulation," according to Asbestos, the industry's trade journal.6 Its ads in the magazine offered "Insutube and Thermotube pipe and tube insulation" in 1948, and listed Insutube as "slip-on" among its flexible insulations in 1957.2,7

The sources give different dates for when it was made: Unarco's 1970 answers list it among materials "manufactured previous to 1940 and ... continued through the present dates," a date that sits uneasily with the 1942 trade-mark filing.4,6 An insurance company's 1981 list of asbestos products, compiled from other companies' answers in lawsuits, gives it as made from 1948 to 1960.1 In December 1969 Unarco answered that it was still making Insutube.3

See also: Insubestos, Insutape, Wovenstone.

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What each document says

Every statement about Insutube (Unarco) in the documents, in each document's own words.

The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981)

  • Made from: “48”, p. 61
  • Form: “SLIP ON INSULATION”, p. 61
  • Made until: “60”, p. 61

Asbestos Magazine, 1957, January 1957

  • Form: “Insutube—slip-on (under FLEXIBLES)”, p. 332

The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to plaintiff's interrogatories

  • Description: “a slip-on insulation consisting of a braided asbestos core, fibrous glass insulating medium and a braided asbestos jacket”, p. 23
  • Made until: “At the present time, this Defendant manufactures ... in this classification is our insutube and insutape” (as of 1969-12-01), p. 123

The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories

  • Made from: “manufactured previous to 1940 and were continued through the present dates unless otherwise noted”, p. 14
  • Asbestos content: “a braided asbestos core ... and a braided asbestos jacket”, p. 24
  • Made until: “continued through the present dates” (as of 1970-04-01), p. 14
  • Ingredient: “fibrous glass insulating medium”, p. 24
  • Description: “a slip-on insulation consisting of a braided asbestos core, fibrous glass insulating medium and a braided asbestos jacket; supplied with or without a Neoprene coating on the exterior jacket”, p. 24

The Tomplait v. Combustion Engineering Case File (1962-1969), Answers to plaintiff's third interrogatories with exhibits

  • Asbestos content: “insulating and packing products, containing asbestos, which UNION sells” (as of 1962-06-30), said by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. and Union Asbestos and Rubber Co. (Agreement of Purchase), as recorded by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (exhibit to interrogatory answers, Tomplait), p. 185
  • Sold until: “lines ... which UNION sells” (as of 1962-06-30), said by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. and Union Asbestos and Rubber Co. (Agreement of Purchase), as recorded by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (exhibit to interrogatory answers, Tomplait), p. 185

Asbestos Magazine, 1943, June 1943

  • Description: “For Thermal Pipe Insulation”, said by Union Asbestos & Rubber Company, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), Trade Marks column, p. 396

Asbestos Magazine, 1948, February 1948

  • Form: “Insutube and Thermotube pipe and tube insulation”, p. 197

Travelers Asbestos Products Printout, July 1981

  • Made from: “48”, p. 218
  • Form: “WRAP ON INSULATION”, p. 218
  • Made until: “60”, p. 218

Union Carbide Chemicals Company: Thermal Insulation and Accessories Manual (1962)

  • Form: “Pipe Covering”, p. 789
  • Asbestos content: “Asbestos Fiber and Glass Fiber”, p. 789
  • Temperature limit: “Atmos to 500”, p. 789
  • Description: “Braided asbestos inner tube covered with glass fiber insulation and contained within an outer jacket of braided asbestos tubing. To slide on small lines. Flexible.”, p. 789
  • Description: “asbestos tubing treated with neoprene” (as of pre 1948), p. 8610

Kind of product

We list Insutube (Unarco) 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.

Other pipe covering and block insulation by Unarco (8)

Wovenstone · Insutape · Calcium Silicate · Super Insutape · Super Unibestos · Unibestos 1200 · Unibestos 750 · New Improved Insutape

Pipe covering and block insulation by other makers (268)

Thermobestos · Superex (Johns-Manville) · Careytemp (Philip Carey) · Kaylo (Owens-Corning) · Unibestos (Union Asbestos & Rubber Co.) · Hylo (Eagle-Picher) · Imperial (GAF) · Imperial Pipe Covering (Ruberoid) · Impervo (Philip Carey) · Indented (Johns-Manville) · Insulation Seal 820 (Philip Carey) · Insutape (Union Asbestos & Rubber Co.) · Johns-Manville Jm (Johns-Manville) · Johns-Manville Transite Asbestos Wood (Johns-Manville) · Jurid (Kirchbach'Sche Werke Kirchbach & Co.) · K & M (Keasbey & Mattison) · K & M Aircell (Keasbey & Mattison) · K&M Best in Asbestos (Keasbey & Mattison) · K-12 Cal Sil (Combustion Engineering) · K-20 (Combustion Engineering) · and 248 more: all pipe covering and block insulation

See also

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

References

  1. The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981) (April 30, 1981), p. 6.
  2. Asbestos Magazine, 1957, January 1957 (January 1, 1957), p. 33.
  3. The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to plaintiff's interrogatories (December 1, 1969), pp. 2, 12.
  4. The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories (April 1, 1970), pp. 1–2.
  5. The Tomplait v. Combustion Engineering Case File (1962-1969), Answers to plaintiff's third interrogatories with exhibits (June 30, 1962), p. 18.
  6. Asbestos Magazine, 1943, June 1943 (June 1, 1943), p. 39.
  7. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, February 1948 (February 1, 1948), p. 19.
  8. Travelers Asbestos Products Printout, July 1981 (July 1, 1981), p. 21.
  9. Union Carbide Chemicals Company: Thermal Insulation and Accessories Manual (October 1, 1962), p. 78.
  10. Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects, Volume Two (1986), p. 86. Not yet published in our library.

Cite this page

“Insutube (Unarco).” AsbestosClaims.Law Library. https://asbestosclaims.law/library/products/unarco-insutube.

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This page is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Every asbestos case turns on its own facts, exposure history, diagnosis, deadlines, available evidence, and applicable law. Reviewing this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, call 833-4-ASBESTOS for a free case review.