Staz-on Insulating Cement by NARCO

Product Description

Staz-on Insulating Cement was a refractory insulating cement manufactured by North American Refractories Company (NARCO), a major producer of high-temperature industrial materials based in the United States. The product was marketed and distributed primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, a period when refractory cements containing asbestos were standard materials in heavy industrial construction, maintenance, and repair operations.

Refractory cements like Staz-on were engineered to withstand extreme thermal conditions, making them valuable in environments where conventional building materials would fail. NARCO supplied its product line to a broad range of industrial sectors, including steel manufacturing, power generation, petrochemical processing, and other industries that relied on high-temperature equipment such as furnaces, kilns, boilers, and industrial ovens. Staz-on Insulating Cement was specifically formulated to bond, seal, and insulate refractory linings, allowing facilities to maintain thermal integrity in their most critical equipment.

NARCO was a recognized name in the refractory industry throughout much of the twentieth century. The company produced a wide catalog of refractory products, and Staz-on was among the insulating cement products associated with asbestos content during the decades of peak industrial demand. As litigation and regulatory scrutiny over asbestos mounted in later decades, NARCO’s liability for its asbestos-containing product line eventually led to the establishment of a dedicated asbestos trust to compensate those harmed.

Asbestos Content

Staz-on Insulating Cement contained asbestos as a functional component of its formulation. Asbestos was widely incorporated into refractory and insulating cements during this era because of its well-documented resistance to heat, its fibrous binding properties, and its ability to reinforce the structural integrity of cement materials under thermal stress. These physical characteristics made asbestos a commercially attractive additive for manufacturers producing products intended for high-temperature industrial applications.

In the context of insulating cements, asbestos fibers were typically blended into the cement matrix during manufacturing. The resulting product could be applied in wet or paste form and would cure into a rigid, heat-resistant insulating layer. The presence of asbestos in this type of product is consistent with industry-wide formulation practices for refractory insulating cements manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s, a period before federal regulations such as those introduced under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards substantially restricted the use of asbestos in commercial and industrial products.

Trust fund documentation associated with the North American Refractories Company Asbestos PI Trust identifies Staz-on Insulating Cement and NARCO as covered within the trust’s product and manufacturer records, confirming the asbestos-containing nature of the product.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers who handled, mixed, applied, or worked in proximity to Staz-on Insulating Cement during the 1960s and 1970s faced potential asbestos fiber exposure through several recognized pathways.

Mixing and application. Workers who opened bags of insulating cement, mixed dry or wet formulations, or troweled and applied the product to furnace linings, boiler casings, kiln interiors, or similar surfaces could disturb the material in ways that released respirable asbestos fibers into the surrounding air. Mixing operations in particular, whether done by hand or with mechanical equipment, were known to generate dust containing asbestos.

Cutting, shaping, and removal. Dried or cured refractory cement that had been applied to equipment surfaces required periodic removal during maintenance, repair, or equipment relining. Breaking apart, chipping, grinding, or otherwise disturbing cured asbestos-containing cement is documented as a significant source of airborne fiber release. Workers performing maintenance shutdowns or refractory relining in steel mills, power plants, and industrial processing facilities were regularly exposed during these removal activities.

Bystander and secondary exposure. Workers who were present in the same work area during application or removal operations, even if not directly handling the product, were subject to bystander exposure. In confined industrial spaces such as furnace interiors, boiler rooms, or enclosed processing areas, airborne asbestos fibers could accumulate at elevated concentrations and remain suspended for extended periods.

Trades most affected. Industrial workers in a broad range of roles encountered Staz-on and similar refractory cements as part of their regular work. Furnace operators, boilermakers, millwrights, ironworkers, refractory masons, maintenance crews, and laborers working in steel manufacturing, power generation, and chemical processing facilities were among those with documented potential for exposure. Industrial workers generally—including those in supervisory or inspection roles who were present on job sites where the product was being used—may also have experienced exposure without directly handling the material.

Workers employed at industrial facilities during the 1960s and 1970s often encountered asbestos-containing refractory products across multiple job sites and over extended career spans, which could contribute to cumulative exposure histories relevant to occupational disease claims.

Documented Product Identification

The following details are drawn from public asbestos litigation records, manufacturer catalog pages, technical manuals, and corporate history materials. Each item reflects the product as documented in those sources.

Corporate context: Formed in 1929 through the merger of several refractory companies including Queen’s Run, Crescent, and Eltra, among others. Owned by Eltra until 1979, then by Allied Signal (Allied) from 1979 to 1986, after which ownership transferred to banks and investors. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Brand identification: Narco

Industries served: steel, iron.

North American Refractories Company (Narco) manufactured refractory materials used primarily in high-temperature industrial applications such as steel and iron processing. The company operated approximately eleven manufacturing facilities and a research center in Curwensville, Pennsylvania.