Aerogun by Keene Corporation

Product Description

Aerogun was an asbestos-containing industrial product manufactured by Keene Corporation, a diversified manufacturing company that produced a broad range of construction and industrial materials throughout much of the twentieth century. The Aerogun product line was associated with multiple end-use categories, reflecting the widespread industrial demand for asbestos-containing materials during the decades when asbestos was considered an indispensable component of heat-resistant, fire-retardant, and insulating products.

Keene Corporation, headquartered in New York, operated through numerous subsidiaries and acquired several companies whose product lines included asbestos-containing materials. The corporation became a significant defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation as the health consequences of occupational asbestos exposure became broadly documented through medical and epidemiological research. Aerogun, as one of Keene’s documented product offerings, appeared across multiple industrial and construction applications, contributing to its appearance in a variety of occupational exposure contexts.

The product’s cross-category application—spanning floor tile, pipe insulation, refractory materials, spray fireproofing, and valves and steam traps—meant that it was present in a diverse range of industrial environments, from heavy manufacturing facilities to commercial and institutional construction sites. This breadth of application placed many categories of workers in potential contact with the material over the course of their working lives.

Asbestos Content

Aerogun was formulated to contain asbestos as a functional component. Asbestos was incorporated into industrial products of this type for its well-documented thermal resistance, tensile strength, and fire-suppression properties. In spray fireproofing applications, asbestos fibers provided structural cohesion and thermal insulation that was difficult to replicate with alternative materials at the time of manufacture. In refractory products, asbestos contributed to the material’s ability to withstand sustained high-temperature environments. In pipe insulation contexts, asbestos helped prevent heat transfer and protected underlying pipe systems from thermal damage. Floor tile formulations incorporating asbestos benefited from the fiber’s durability and dimensional stability, while asbestos content in valve and steam trap components helped manage the extreme temperature and pressure conditions inherent to steam systems.

The specific fiber type or percentage composition of asbestos within Aerogun products has not been independently verified in publicly available regulatory documentation for this article. Litigation records, however, establish that the product was identified as asbestos-containing by plaintiffs and their counsel in personal injury proceedings, and that Keene Corporation’s liability in connection with asbestos-containing products was the subject of extensive judicial and settlement activity.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers across multiple trades and occupational settings encountered Aerogun in circumstances that created potential for asbestos fiber release and inhalation. The mechanism of exposure varied depending on the specific product category involved.

In spray fireproofing applications, Aerogun material was applied using spray equipment that aerosolized the product mixture. Workers operating spray equipment, as well as those working nearby in the same structure or facility, faced direct inhalation risk from the fine particulate cloud generated during application. Spray-applied asbestos fireproofing was among the most hazardous application methods identified in subsequent occupational health research, as the process generated high concentrations of airborne fibers in enclosed spaces.

Workers involved in pipe insulation installation, repair, and removal encountered Aerogun in conditions that frequently disturbed the material. Cutting, fitting, and securing pipe insulation—and particularly the removal and replacement of aging insulation—released asbestos fibers into the breathing zone of insulators, pipefitters, steamfitters, and maintenance personnel. Refractory work involving the product similarly required cutting, shaping, and installation activities that fractured the material and liberated fibers.

Floor tile installation and removal activities involving asbestos-containing tile products created fiber release through cutting, grinding, scraping, and sanding. Maintenance workers who stripped, sanded, or buffed old tile flooring were particularly at risk, as these activities aggressively disturbed the tile matrix.

In valve and steam trap contexts, industrial maintenance workers who repaired, replaced, or otherwise worked on steam system components potentially encountered asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and seating materials. The high-temperature, high-pressure nature of steam systems required durable sealing materials, and asbestos served that function in many valve and trap assemblies of the period.

Because Aerogun spanned multiple product categories, industrial workers generally—including those in chemical plants, refineries, shipyards, manufacturing facilities, power generating stations, and large commercial construction projects—may have encountered the product in more than one form over the course of a career. Bystander exposure, affecting workers in adjacent trades who were present during Aerogun application or disturbance without directly handling the product, is also documented in the broader pattern of asbestos litigation involving Keene Corporation products.