National Valve & Manufacturing Co. — Asbestos Product Reference

Manufacturer: National Valve & Manufacturing Co. Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Years of Operation (Asbestos-Era): 1885–1985 (asbestos use documented through 1985) Product Categories: Industrial valves, compression packing, sheet gasket material Legal Status: Tier 2 — Litigated; no bankruptcy trust established

Company History

National Valve & Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1885 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, positioning itself within one of the country’s most industrially dense regions during a period of rapid expansion in American manufacturing. Over the following century, the company developed into a recognized supplier of industrial flow-control equipment, serving sectors that demanded highly durable components capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, pressures, and corrosive process fluids.

National Valve’s core customer base included petrochemical processing facilities, electric power generation plants, and petroleum refining operations — industries where valve integrity was considered critical to both operational efficiency and worker safety. These industrial environments also represented some of the heaviest concentrations of asbestos use in the American economy, as insulation, packing, gaskets, and related sealing materials were routinely specified for high-heat applications throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Pittsburgh’s manufacturing corridor gave National Valve proximity to raw material suppliers, skilled trades labor, and a dense network of industrial buyers. The company supplied valves and associated sealing components to facilities across the country during the decades when asbestos-containing materials were standard practice in the valve manufacturing industry. According to asbestos litigation records, National Valve continued incorporating asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials into its product lines through approximately 1985, when regulatory pressure and mounting liability concerns prompted widespread industry reformulation.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Plaintiffs alleged in civil litigation that National Valve & Manufacturing Co. incorporated asbestos-containing materials into multiple product lines sold to industrial customers throughout the mid-to-late twentieth century. Court filings document three primary product categories as central to these allegations.

National Valve Industrial Valves

According to asbestos litigation records, National Valve’s industrial valve assemblies were manufactured and sold with internal asbestos-containing components as standard equipment. Plaintiffs alleged that gate valves, globe valves, check valves, and other configurations shipped by National Valve were supplied with asbestos packing pre-installed in the valve stem area, and that the valves were designed to be used in conjunction with asbestos sheet gaskets at pipe flanges and bonnet connections.

Court filings document that these valve assemblies were sold to industrial facilities including refineries, chemical plants, and power stations, where workers would routinely perform maintenance tasks — repacking valve stems, replacing flange gaskets, and disassembling bonnet connections — that disturbed the asbestos-containing materials contained within or associated with the valve.

Asbestos Compression Packing

Plaintiffs alleged that National Valve manufactured and distributed asbestos compression packing as a standalone product for use in valve maintenance and repair. Compression packing of this type was used to seal valve stems against leakage, and was typically cut, braided, or compressed into valve stuffing boxes by maintenance workers, pipefitters, and mechanics during installation and repair operations.

According to asbestos litigation records, the compression packing products associated with National Valve contained chrysotile asbestos fibers, which provided the heat resistance and compressibility required for high-temperature valve service. Court filings document that workers performing routine valve maintenance — including cutting packing rings to length, pressing packing into stuffing boxes, and removing old, deteriorated packing material — were exposed to asbestos dust generated during these tasks.

Asbestos Sheet Gasket Material

Court filings document allegations that National Valve supplied asbestos sheet gasket material for use with its valve assemblies and associated piping systems. Sheet gasket material was used to create seals at valve flanges, bonnet joints, and pipe connections throughout industrial piping networks. Workers cutting these sheet gaskets to custom dimensions — using knives, shears, or grinding tools — generated asbestos-containing dust as a routine part of the work.

Plaintiffs alleged that National Valve’s sheet gasket products were sold to industrial maintenance departments and contractors who used them in ongoing maintenance operations at refineries, power plants, and chemical processing facilities for decades.

Occupational Exposure

The industries served by National Valve & Manufacturing Co. represent some of the highest-risk occupational environments for asbestos exposure identified in epidemiological literature and litigation records. Workers at petroleum refineries, electric generating stations, and petrochemical processing facilities regularly encountered valve assemblies and associated packing and gasket materials as part of daily maintenance responsibilities.

According to asbestos litigation records, the following trades and occupational groups are most frequently identified in claims involving National Valve products:

  • Pipefitters and steamfitters who installed, maintained, and repaired valve assemblies and associated piping systems, including repacking valve stems and replacing flange gaskets
  • Millwrights and industrial mechanics who performed general maintenance on process equipment, including valve overhaul and replacement
  • Refinery operators and process technicians who worked in proximity to valve maintenance operations in petrochemical and refining environments
  • Power plant workers, including boiler operators and plant maintenance personnel, who worked in environments densely populated with valved steam and process lines
  • Insulators and pipecoverers who worked alongside pipefitters during maintenance shutdowns and turnarounds at large industrial facilities
  • Construction trades workers involved in the initial installation or expansion of refinery, chemical plant, and power station piping systems

Court filings document that exposure events associated with National Valve products were not limited to primary users of the packing and gasket materials. Bystander exposure — affecting workers in the vicinity of valve repacking or gasket replacement operations without directly handling the materials themselves — is also alleged in litigation records. Industrial worksites, particularly during scheduled maintenance turnarounds when multiple trades worked in close proximity, created conditions in which asbestos dust generated by one trade could affect nearby workers across multiple crafts.

The latency period for asbestos-related diseases, which can range from 20 to 50 years between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis, means that workers exposed to National Valve products during peak use periods in the 1950s through 1980s may be receiving diagnoses of mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer in the current period.

Trust Fund / Legal Status

National Valve & Manufacturing Co. has not filed for bankruptcy protection, and no asbestos bankruptcy trust has been established in connection with the company. Litigation involving National Valve products proceeds through the civil tort system rather than through a trust claim process.

According to asbestos litigation records, National Valve has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury lawsuits filed by workers alleging occupational exposure to asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials associated with its products. These cases have been filed in state and federal courts across the country by plaintiffs diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer.

Because no trust fund exists, individuals seeking compensation for injuries allegedly related to National Valve products must pursue claims through direct litigation against the company or its successors. This process differs meaningfully from claims involving manufacturers who reorganized under bankruptcy protection and established dedicated asbestos compensation trusts.

If you or a family member worked as a pipefitter, millwright, refinery worker, power plant employee, or in another industrial trade and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer, exposure to valve packing and gasket materials — including those associated with National Valve & Manufacturing Co. products — may be relevant to your legal options.

Key points to understand:

  • No trust fund exists for National Valve. Claims cannot be submitted through a trust claim process. Legal action, if pursued, proceeds through civil litigation.
  • Litigation records document allegations that National Valve industrial valves, compression packing, and sheet gasket material contained asbestos through approximately 1985.
  • Exposure history matters. Attorneys handling asbestos cases will ask for detailed work history, including employers, job sites, and the specific tasks you performed. Identifying the brands of packing and gasket materials you worked with — or that were worked with near you — is an important part of building a claim.
  • Statutes of limitations apply. Deadlines for filing asbestos claims vary by state and typically run from the date of diagnosis, not the date of exposure. Consulting an attorney promptly after diagnosis is strongly advised.
  • Multiple defendants are typical. Most asbestos cases involve exposure to products from multiple manufacturers. A diagnosis connected to valve maintenance work may support claims against National Valve and other companies whose products were present at the same worksites.

An attorney experienced in asbestos litigation can evaluate your specific work history, identify all potentially responsible parties — including both trust fund defendants and litigated defendants such as National Valve — and advise you on the appropriate course of action for your diagnosis and circumstances.