A.W. Chesterton Company

Highest-Risk Occupations

A.W. Chesterton sold its asbestos products to customers in many industries, including:

• Nuclear power
• Oil and gas
• Steel
• Paper
• Water
• Wastewater
• Manufacturing
• Chemical processing
• Food and beverage
• Mining

Many of these people worked with these asbestos-containing products in poorly ventilated workspaces without protective equipment.

Who is At Highest Risk for Exposure?

Individuals who have occupational exposure to asbestos-containing materials often experience chronic irritation, scarring, and genetic damage from asbestos dust and fibers, potentially leading to serious asbestos-related illnesses decades after initial exposure.

Industrial workers

Industrial workers who installed, maintained, or repaired pumps, valves, and piping systems fitted with A.W. Chesterton asbestos-containing products were exposed to high levels of dust and fibers.

Cutting through old components, such as packing and gaskets, released fibers that could cause serious illness when inhaled or ingested.

Shipyard workers

Shipbuilders and shipfitters may have encountered A.W. Chesterton asbestos products in engine rooms, boiler rooms, and piping.

Common tasks, such as cutting, sanding, and replacing those components, often occur in confined, poorly ventilated spaces, which increases inhalation risks. 

U.S. Navy Veterans

For decades, the U.S. military explicitly required its suppliers to use asbestos in the products it purchased because of its resistance to heat and fire.

Naval vessels were full of asbestos-containing components, including some manufactured by A.W. Chesterton. Veterans are disproportionately impacted by mesothelioma, accounting for 30% of new cases. 

Family Members Exposed Secondhand

Secondhand exposure commonly occurred when asbestos fibers and particles were unknowingly carried home on hair, skin, and clothing.

Family members injured by secondary exposure may be eligible to recover compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. At the same time, wrongful death claims give those whose loved one has passed away an opportunity to recover damages.

A.W. Chesterton Company Asbestos Products

Asbestos was a cheap and effective way to enhance a product’s durability and resistance to heat, fire, and chemical damage. For many manufacturers, including A.W. Chesterton, cost savings and convenience outweighed the risks to workers and public health.

A.W. Chesterton used asbestos in its products for roughly sixty years. By the time the company ceased using asbestos as an additive in the 1980s, the majority of A.W. Chesterton products contained it to some degree. 

Top Asbestos-Containing Products

• A. W. Chesterton Asbestos Cloth
• A. W. Chesterton Gaskets
• A. W. Chesterton Packing
• Chesterton (Style 326, 300, 555, 550, 211, 281, 270, 235, 260, 2000, 124, 119)
• Chesterton Asbestos Rope (Style 296)
• Chesterton Asbestos Wick (Style 292)
• Chesterton Blu-Lon Acid Packing (Style 320) 
• Chesterton Candle Wick (Style 294)
• Chesterton Centrifugal Pump Packing for All Chemicals (Style 328)
• Chesterton Food Process Packing (Style 1725)
• Chesterton Gasket Tapes (Styles 290, 291-N)
• Chesterton Graphite Tape Packing
• Chesterton Graphite Packing (Style 375)
• Chesterton Multi-Service Packing (Style 370, 1722 White-Lon, & 322 White-Lon)
• Chesterton Power Plant Packing (Styles 1500, 64, 364-T, 350, & 5010)
• Chesterton Style One Super-Graphite
• Chesterton Super-Lon  (Styles 1724 & 324)
• Chesterton Super-Valvelon
• Chesterton Universal Packing (Styles 200 & 201) 
• Chesterton Valvelon

Securing Compensation From A.W. Chesterton Company

A.W. Chesterton’s negligent use of asbestos hurt hundreds of thousands of people, causing victims and their families physical, emotional, and financial harm.

If you or a member of your family worked with A.W. Chesterton asbestos products and developed an asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to legal compensation.

Because asbestos was such a popular additive, many victims qualify for compensation from multiple companies or from additional sources, such as VA benefits, workers’ compensation, or treatment grants.

The Mesothelioma Fund can help you determine if you are eligible for compensation in just a few minutes. Contact us today for a free case consultation.

Never wait to file an asbestos claim. If you think you have a case against A.W. Chesterton or another manufacturer, get help as soon as possible. Victims have a limited time to file, with the statute of limitations averaging 2-3 years in most states. Once the filing deadline has passed, so has the compensation opportunity.

– Daniel Wasserberg, Attorney

Filing a Lawsuit

A.W. Chesterton Company has never declared bankruptcy and does not operate an asbestos trust fund. Instead, the company handles all of its asbestos liability through settlements and lawsuits. 

There are two primary lawsuit types victims can use to seek legal compensation:

• Personal injury lawsuit: Allows living victims of asbestos exposure to seek compensation for their losses.
• Wrongful death lawsuit: Allows the dependents or family members of deceased asbestos exposure victims to recover damages for the loss of their loved one.

Once a claimant files a lawsuit against an asbestos company like A.W. Chesterton, the defendant can choose whether to offer a settlement or take the claim to trial.

While trial verdicts can be substantial, the process is costly and time-consuming. For this reason, many victims prefer the efficiency and security of a settlement.

Key Requirements to File

• Diagnosis: Claimants must have a diagnosis of an asbestos-related illness (such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis) OR proof of a wrongful death from an asbestos-related illness. 
• Proof of exposure: Documentation linking the victim’s illness to asbestos exposure from A.W. Chesterton Company through employment or use of their products. 
• Statute of limitations: Potential claimants have a limited time to file a claim. Deadlines vary by state, with most averaging just 2 to 3 years, so it’s critical to move quickly.

Notable Lawsuits Against A.W. Chesterton Company

Since January 1980, A.W. Chesterton Company has been named as a defendant in over 300,000 asbestos-related lawsuits. This extensive legal liability has led to numerous lawsuits between A.W. Chesterton and its various insurers.

Like many asbestos companies, A.W. Chesterton invests significant time, energy, and money in defending against litigation, frequently seeking summary judgment against claimants or appealing verdicts that compensate victims. However, claimants against A.W. Chesterton have won significant compensation in court. 

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease due to asbestos exposure from A.W. Chesterton’s products or activities, remember that you don’t have to handle the filing process alone.

We can provide you with a free case assessment to determine your eligibility and assess your potential claim value.

A.W. Chesterton Company’s Involvement With Asbestos

Founded in 1884 by Arthur Chesterton, the A.W. Chesterton Company began as a supplier to the engineering and steamboat industries. In 1895, the company introduced a line of sealing products, including pump packing and gaskets, which quickly became its most profitable division.

By the 1920s, A.W. Chesterton began incorporating asbestos into many of its products to improve heat resistance and durability at a lower cost. Despite increasing awareness across the manufacturing industry about the serious health risks of asbestos exposure, the company continued using it for more than six decades.

Throughout this period, A.W. Chesterton expanded both nationally and internationally, introducing new products such as heat-resistant pumps, lubricants, cleaners, sealants, and split seals, many of which also contained asbestos.

The company stopped using asbestos in the early 1980s. Today, A.W. Chesterton remains in operation, employing more than 1,200 people in 113 countries.

Contact Us For a Free Case Assessment

Negligent companies like A.W. Chesterton deserve to be held accountable for the suffering caused by their use of asbestos. Despite knowing the severe health risks of asbestos exposure, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, they continued to use asbestos for decades without warning employees or consumers.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of individuals worked with asbestos regularly, leading to devastating health consequences. For these victims and their families, the impact extends beyond the physical, bringing emotional strain and significant financial hardship.

Our trusted legal partners have decades of experience guiding clients through the complexities of asbestos litigation. With the right support, filing a lawsuit can be a manageable, empowering step toward justice and potential compensation.

Written & Legally Reviewed By

Daniel Wasserberg, Esq. Attorney and On-Site Legal Advocate

Daniel Wasserberg was a New York metropolitan area “Super Lawyer Rising Star” from 2013 to 2018 (attorneys under age 40), and a Super Lawyer in 2019. In 2017, Daniel was named a “Top 100 Civil Litigator” by the National Trial Lawyers organization. This recognition is rarely awarded to attorneys under the age of 40. Daniel is proud to call himself a Trial Lawyer, and is often asked to speak at gatherings of the nation’s leading attorneys, from both sides of the bar.

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