Was Chemetron Corporation — Industrial Furnace asbestos documented in litigation?

Chemetron Corporation — Industrial Furnace is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to Chemetron Corporation — Industrial Furnace asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Chemetron Corporation — Industrial Furnace products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Industrial-Furnaces

Chemetron Corporation industrial heat-treat and annealing furnace access-door seals and hearth-plate gaskets, allegedly fabricated from asbestos-woven-cloth tadpole tape, asbestos rope, and CAF sheet stock for high-temperature door-frame sealing in Chemetron / Selas / Holcroft heat-treat furnaces

⚖ Litigation Record1950s–early 1980sAlleged chrysotile-fiber woven tadpole tape and asbestos rope door-frame seals installed around the perimeter of Chemetron industrial-furnace access doors, quench-tank hoods, and hearth-plate joints; alleged CAF sheet gaskets under burner-mount flanges. Released as friable fiber when seals were pried out, cut, or replaced during furnace re-line and quarterly PM by heat-treat operators and industrial millwrights

Overview Product Facts Trades

Litigation Record: Information below reflects allegations in publicly filed asbestos litigation — plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact.

Product Description

Chemetron Corporation (Chicago, IL; historically parent of Selas Corporation and holder of industrial-furnace product lines including heat-treat and annealing furnaces) allegedly manufactured and marketed industrial furnaces to steel finishers, forge shops, and heat-treat job shops across the U.S. from the 1950s through the early 1980s. Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Chemetron industrial furnaces used chrysotile-fiber woven “tadpole” tape and asbestos rope door-frame seals around access doors, quench-tank hoods, and hearth-plate joints, and that compressed asbestos fiber (CAF) sheet gaskets were installed under burner-mount flanges on the furnace shell.

Plaintiffs further alleged that Chemetron-supplied replacement seal kits — furnished as maintenance items during quarterly preventive maintenance and full furnace re-line — continued to specify asbestos-fabric seal stock into the early 1980s.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly identified the following trades as exposed during Chemetron industrial-furnace service:

Heat-treat operators loading and unloading through door frames and re-seating asbestos rope seals as they burned down.
Industrial millwrights replacing door-frame tadpole tape and cutting fresh sections from spooled asbestos-cloth stock during quarterly PM.
Refractory bricklayers stripping asbestos-rope hearth joints during full furnace re-line.
Industrial insulators stripping and re-installing asbestos-fabric burner-flange gaskets during burner rebuilds.

Alleged exposure mechanisms included prying dry, brittle burned-down asbestos rope from door frames with a scraper, cutting fresh tape from bulk spools, and dumping spent seal debris into open scrap barrels.

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If You Worked at Chemetron Corporation

If you or a family member worked at Chemetron Corporation and were exposed to asbestos-containing materials at this facility — and were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease — you may be entitled to significant compensation. Time-sensitive filing deadlines apply.

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Product Facts

Trade NameChemetron Corporation industrial heat-treat and annealing furnace access-door seals and hearth-plate gaskets, allegedly fabricated from asbestos-woven-cloth tadpole tape, asbestos rope, and CAF sheet stock for high-temperature door-frame sealing in Chemetron / Selas / Holcroft heat-treat furnaces

Years Produced1950s–early 1980s

Asbestos ContentAlleged chrysotile-fiber woven tadpole tape and asbestos rope door-frame seals installed around the perimeter of Chemetron industrial-furnace access doors, quench-tank hoods, and hearth-plate joints; alleged CAF sheet gaskets under burner-mount flanges. Released as friable fiber when seals were pried out, cut, or replaced during furnace re-line and quarterly PM by heat-treat operators and industrial millwrights

CategoryIndustrial-Furnaces Gaskets-Packing

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Heat-Treat OperatorsIndustrial MillwrightsRefractory BricklayersIndustrial Insulators

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Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos-containing products, you and your family may be entitled to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

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No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery
Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
Trust fund claims, civil lawsuits, and VA benefits pursued simultaneously

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