Process Piping — Asbestos Exposure Crosswalk
What This Equipment Is
Process piping is the network of pipes that carries steam, condensate, chilled water, brine, hydrocarbons, chemicals, and other fluids through an industrial facility. Unlike utility piping or domestic plumbing, process piping operates at elevated temperatures and pressures and is almost always thermally insulated.
Process piping is present in essentially every industrial facility built in the 20th century:
- Power plants — main steam, feedwater, condensate, blowdown
- Petroleum refineries — crude transfer, distillation cuts, hydrocarbon vapor lines
- Chemical plants — reactor feed, intermediate transfer, product piping
- Paper mills — pulp lines, recovery boiler steam, white-liquor lines
- Breweries and food processing — wort transfer, CIP/SIP lines, refrigerant lines
- Steel mills — steam, compressed air, oxygen, natural gas distribution
- Hospitals and universities — central-plant steam distribution through utility tunnels
- U.S. Navy vessels — propulsion steam, feedwater, fuel oil, fresh and salt water systems
From roughly 1900 through the mid-1980s, virtually all industrial process piping above 150°F was wrapped in asbestos-containing pipe covering.
Specific Piping Products and Variants
This page is the umbrella reference. For detail on specific piping-related products:
- Pipe Insulation — the broad asbestos pipe-covering category
- Kaylo Pipe Covering — Owens-Corning calcium silicate brand
- Magnesia Pipe Covering — 85% magnesia industry standard
- Unibestos Pipe Covering — Pittsburgh Corning amosite product
- Transite Pipe — asbestos-cement pipe by Johns-Manville
- Hospital Pipe Tunnels — central-plant steam distribution
- Celotex Pipe Insulation — Celotex Corporation brand
Asbestos Products Historically Used on Process Piping
| Product Category | Where Used | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pipe covering (block & half-round) | All steam and high-temperature lines | Magnesia, calcium silicate, fiberglass-asbestos |
| Insulating cement | Elbows, tees, valves, fittings | Mixed dry and hand-applied — high fiber release |
| Pipe wrap | Outer protection layer | Asbestos cloth tape |
| Gaskets | Flanged joints | Sheet gasket, spiral wound, ring |
| Packing | Valve stems, pump shafts on process pumps | Braided asbestos rope |
| Asbestos-cement pipe (transite) | Underground utilities, drains, condensate | Composite material |
| Pipe-tunnel insulation | Central-plant distribution tunnels | Block insulation lining |
Manufacturers Named in Process-Piping Litigation
Public asbestos litigation records identify these manufacturers in cases involving process-piping insulation, gaskets, and packing:
Insulation manufacturers:
- Johns-Manville — block, pipe covering, transite
- Owens-Corning / Fibreboard — Kaylo, calcium silicate
- Pittsburgh Corning — Unibestos amosite pipe covering
- Eagle-Picher — block insulation
- Armstrong World Industries — calcium silicate
- Celotex Corporation
- Keene Corporation
- W.R. Grace
Gaskets and packing:
- Garlock Sealing Technologies
- John Crane Inc.
- Anchor Packing
- Flexitallic — spiral-wound gaskets
Valves and piping components (named for supplied-with-asbestos claims):
- Crane Co.
- ITT Grinnell
- Yarway
- Powell Valve
Trust Funds That May Apply
- Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust
- Owens-Corning / Fibreboard Asbestos Personal Injury Trust
- Pittsburgh Corning Corporation Asbestos PI Trust
- Eagle-Picher Industries Personal Injury Settlement Trust
- Armstrong World Industries Asbestos PI Settlement Trust
- Celotex Asbestos Settlement Trust
- Keene Creditors Trust
- W.R. Grace Asbestos PI Settlement Trust
See full trust-fund directory →
Trades Most Exposed at Process Piping
- Pipefitters & Steamfitters — primary trade for piping installation and removal
- Heat & Frost Insulators (Local #1) — installation and tear-out of pipe covering
- Boilermakers — pipe work around boilers and pressure vessels
- Plumbers — water and condensate piping work
- Millwrights — pipe alignment and equipment connections
- Maintenance Mechanics — repair and re-insulation work
- Welders — joint cutting and rewelding, often through insulated pipe
- Laborers — tear-out work during demolition and renovation
Tear-out and demolition work — particularly during plant turnarounds, hospital renovations, and steam-system replacements — historically produced the highest concentrations of airborne fiber on process-piping work.
Jobsites in the Network Documenting Process Piping
- Anheuser-Busch Brewery — St. Louis, Missouri — extensive process piping for brewing
- Power and industrial facilities — steam-line piping throughout the network
- Hospitals with central-plant distribution — extensive utility-tunnel piping
Compiled from publicly filed asbestos litigation records, EPA NESHAP filings, state-DNR records, and industry-publication histories. Product identifications and company references reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed litigation. This page does not constitute a finding of liability against any company. This information is not legal advice; consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.