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Heat Seals

A gasket is similar to a mechanical washer in design, which separates two parts of a machine, or fills a space between two such parts. While a washer serves only this spatial purpose, the gasket and heat seal has the added task of insulating this space against the transfer of heat from one mechanical part to another. In order for the gasket to work efficiently, the heat seal material must be a poor conductor of heat, and it must also be highly compressible, allowing the gasket and accompanying materials to fit in a specifically shaped space.

Engineers who designed and built gaskets for much of the last century constructed them and other heat seals using asbestos. Asbestos met all of the requirements because it was a great insulator, was vastly compressible, and was cheap and easy to purchase. Mines all over the United States supplied asbestos to thousands of manufacturers, who then churned out insulating products, such as heat seals. Before the 1970s, nearly every home and business contained an asbestos gasket or heat seal. As the result of its widespread distribution and use, many workers who constructed heat seals in factories or built machines with asbestos gaskets were exposed to friable asbestos particles.

Even today, many heat seals in the home, office, or factory can contain asbestos fibers because it was built many years ago. In regions outside of the United States, asbestos materials are still being used to manufacture machines and consumer products. Anyone who works with, owns, or uses a machine that contains an asbestos heat seal is at risk of asbestos exposure. As these products age and are removed or replaced, loose asbestos particles may release into the air.

The inhalation of asbestos particles causes approximately ten thousand asbestos-related deaths each year in the United States. These diseases exhibit long latency periods, which typically span several decades. After asbestos is inhaled, one may develop any number of life-threatening illnesses, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. If you believe you have been exposed to an asbestos heat seal or other asbestos-containing product, please consult an attorney.

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