Yarway

In 1932 the Yarnell-Waring Company, a Pennsylvania, USA corporation, wordmarked the name Yarway for use with their line of valves, gauges, water columns, pipe clamps, pipe-joint clamps, spray heads, meters, expansion joints and air control devices including steam traps.

Yarnell-Wagner also manufactured pumps for use in dispensing measured quantities of liquids using the Yarway brand. The ™ image was not registered in Canada until 1943 although there is ample evidence that Yarway valves had been imported into Canada at least as early as 1933. At the time Yarway first started using asbestos in gasketing and packing in their valves and pumps the full danger of asbestos was not known. The company used asbestos due to the low cost and the ability of asbestos to withstand friction and high heat. Patents filed with the US patent office included asbestos as an major component in Yarway gaskets and packing in the 1920s.

Expansion joint packing was a mixture of teflon and asbestos that Yarway manufactured from the 1930s to the 1970s. Pipefitters and plumbers in the petrochemical or power generation industries were at high risk of contact with materials manufactured by Yarway as those industries used many Yarway products. Yarway products were also widely used in ships and foundries. Yarway products were commercial grade and not likely to be used residentially.

Cutting into gasketing material released asbestos particles into the surrounding air making inhalation of dust probable, given that respiratory protection was rare. Old gaskets often had broken down to the point that the material had to be scraped off using a chisel or knife. Asbestos fibres, too small to be visible to the naked eye would transfer to hands and clothing, making ingestion possible.

Please contact us if you or a loved one worked with Yarway products, or in close proximity to others using Yarway valves and packing, and are now suffering from mesothelioma or one of the other compensable asbestos diseases.

The Yarway asbestos trust opened June 21, 2016. This means that if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease after working with Yarway gaskets, packing, joint packing and steam traps since April 13, 2013 you must file a claim with the trust by June 21, 2019. Newly diagnosed persons must file their claims within two years of diagnosis.