Velan Inc. — Asbestos Product Reference

Manufacturer: Velan Inc. Headquarters: Montreal, Quebec, Canada (US operations historically in Williston, VT) Founded: 1950 Documented Asbestos Period: Late 1950s – mid-1980s Product Categories: Industrial gate, globe, check, and cryogenic valves

Company History

Velan Inc. was founded in 1950 by A.K. Velan in Montreal, Quebec, and grew into one of the leading manufacturers of high-end industrial valves for severe-service applications. The company built its reputation supplying forged-steel gate, globe, and check valves to nuclear and fossil power generation, petroleum refining, naval shipbuilding, and chemical processing. Velan opened US manufacturing operations and became a preferred valve supplier on US Navy nuclear and conventional vessels through both direct contracts and authorized distribution.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s — the period when asbestos was the industry-standard high-temperature sealing material — Velan valves were assembled with asbestos-containing packing and gasket components consistent with the broader practice across the industrial-valve sector. According to asbestos litigation records, plaintiffs alleged that Velan valves installed in power plants, refineries, and shipyards required asbestos-bearing packing and gaskets that were specified in the company’s service literature.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, the following Velan product lines have been identified in connection with alleged asbestos exposure:

Velan forged-steel gate valves — used in high-pressure steam and process service. Court filings document allegations that these valves incorporated compressed asbestos stem packing and asbestos-sheet bonnet and body gaskets during the period of asbestos use.

Velan cryogenic valves — used in LNG, air-separation, and similar low-temperature service. Plaintiffs alleged that even cryogenic valves incorporated asbestos-bearing seals at warm-side flanges and stuffing boxes.

Velan globe and check valves — used widely in feedwater, condensate, and main-steam piping. Plaintiffs alleged that asbestos packing and gasketing were standard internal components through the late 1970s.

Occupational Exposure

Workers most likely to have encountered Velan valves in asbestos-bearing service include:

  • Pipefitters and steamfitters at fossil and nuclear power generation facilities
  • Naval shipyard workers — particularly at yards serving the Navy’s nuclear surface and submarine fleets
  • Refinery and chemical-plant maintenance crews working on high-pressure process loops
  • Boilermakers tying Velan valves into pressure-vessel and superheater assemblies

The latency period for asbestos-related disease — typically 10–50 years — means that workers exposed during the 1960s and 1970s may only now be receiving diagnoses tied to that occupational history.

Legal Tier Classification: Tier 2 — Litigated, No Established Trust

Velan Inc. has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation. The company does not currently maintain an asbestos bankruptcy trust under Section 524(g). Claims involving Velan products are typically pursued through the civil litigation system, often in parallel with claims against other valve and pump manufacturers whose products contributed to the same exposure history.

Statute-of-limitations rules vary by state and by disease type, and the limitations clock generally runs from the time of diagnosis rather than the time of exposure.