Asbestos Packings

Asbestos packing had a variety of uses, most of which were industrial. The material was used as packing for boiler doors, valves and pumps, and was widely used in the shipbuilding industry. Shipyard workers, manufacturers and even men in the Navy were exposed to asbestos via asbestos packing and other materials used in shipbuilding.

Working with materials such as asbestos packing caused a very high degree of asbestos exposure, not only to these workers, but also in some cases to their families as well, as the fibers were often present on the clothes of workers. As late as the 1970s, the safety precautions taken to prevent exposure were extremely inadequate, and in some cases were even non-existent.