Glass workers labored around some of the hottest equipment in heavy industry — melting furnaces and glass tanks that ran continuously at extreme temperature. That heat demanded refractory linings, block insulation, and protective clothing, and those materials were allegedly made with asbestos. Handling raw glass at the furnace also meant asbestos gloves and aprons within arm’s reach all shift long.

How Glass Workers Were Exposed

A glass melting tank was lined with refractory brick and block and paved with asbestos-bearing refractory around the crown and throat. When the furnace was rebuilt or hot-repaired, workers cut, chipped, and set that refractory — one of the dustiest jobs in the plant. Glass handlers and gatherers wore asbestos gloves and clothing to work molten glass, and every flexing or worn glove shed fiber. The steam lines, forehearths, and annealing equipment were sealed with asbestos sheet gaskets and lagged with block insulation. Maintenance and demolition crews who tore down old furnaces breathed the heaviest concentrations of all.

The Asbestos Materials — and the Products They Came In

Exposure tracked to the furnace refractory, block insulation, protective gear, and gaskets. Each links to products documented in the AsbestosIndex as allegedly asbestos-containing:

Furnace & glass-tank refractory — cut and set during furnace builds and hot repairs:

Block insulation — lagged the furnace shell, forehearths, and steam lines:

Protective gloves & clothing — worn to handle molten and hot glass:

Flange gaskets — sealed the steam, gas, and process piping:

Browse the full Refractory and Industrial Furnaces categories for more.

Take-Home Risk to Families

Refractory and glove dust settled into glass workers’ clothing and rode home at the end of the shift, exposing spouses and children who never worked in the plant — often through the laundry. See take-home asbestos exposure.

If you worked in a glass plant or glasshouse and were exposed to asbestos furnace refractory, block insulation, gloves, or gaskets on the job, and you were diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after that exposure, you may have a legal claim.

Product references reflect allegations documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation. This information is published by an independent media organization — not a law firm — and is educational only. It does not constitute legal advice or provide legal services.