Zurn Industries Asbestos Exposure: Industrial Boilers & Claims

🏢 Zurn & Erie City Iron Works History

Zurn’s official history traces its roots to 1900, when John A. Zurn purchased backwater-valve patterns from Erie City Iron Works and began manufacturing valves and plumbing products in Erie, Pennsylvania. During World War II, Zurn shifted part of its production to boilers for the Allied war effort. The history of Erie City Iron Works itself is older: Smithsonian records state that it began in 1840 as Presque Isle Foundry, became Erie City Iron Works in 1851 and later became Zurn Industries’ Energy Division.

Company History at a Glance

Erie City Iron Works Record

See Industrial Equipment Manufacturers & Asbestos Exposure.

🔥 Zurn Industrial Boilers & Historical Asbestos Components

The strongest primary-source asbestos evidence comes from Zurn Elkay’s SEC filings. The company reported that plaintiffs alleged injury from asbestos used primarily in industrial boilers formerly manufactured by a segment of its subsidiaries. Importantly, the filing states those subsidiaries did not manufacture asbestos or asbestos components; the components were purchased from suppliers. This distinction matters when identifying the manufacturer or supplier responsible for a particular historical asbestos material.

Boiler Components Requiring Investigation

Product Accuracy Table

👷 Workers & Zurn Industrial Boiler Exposure Settings

Industrial boiler maintenance can involve insulation, refractory, packing and gasket work. The worker groups most relevant to legacy Zurn/Erie boiler claims are those who installed, operated, repaired, opened or removed industrial boilers or worked close to others performing dusty maintenance.

Potentially Exposed Worker Groups

Relevant Work Settings

See High-Risk Jobs Asbestos Exposure and Job Site Asbestos Exposure.

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🔧 How Historical Boiler Asbestos Exposure Occurred

Exposure generally depended on disturbing an asbestos-containing material, not simply standing near an intact boiler. Historical boiler work could involve removing insulation, opening access points, scraping old gasket material, replacing rope seals, breaking refractory and cleaning dusty debris. Because Zurn-related subsidiaries purchased asbestos components from suppliers, component-source evidence can be important.

Potential Exposure Activities

Asbestos-Related Health Conditions

⚖️ Zurn Asbestos Claims & 2023 Liability Divestiture

Zurn’s asbestos-liability structure changed materially on December 15, 2023. Zurn Elkay announced that Zurn Holdings sold four wholly owned subsidiaries—Zurn Industries, LLC, OEI, LLC, OEP, LLC and Krikles, Inc.—that held asbestos liabilities and related assets to Zilco Holdings, Inc., an unaffiliated buyer. SEC filings state that all transferred asbestos obligations, related insurance assets and associated deferred taxes were removed from Zurn Elkay’s consolidated balance sheet and that Zurn Elkay no longer had obligations for pending and future asbestos claims related to the divested entities.

2023 Divestiture Facts

Historical Claim Statistics

📊 Documented Zurn Asbestos Litigation

Published court records show that Zurn has faced asbestos litigation for many years, but they also demonstrate why product-specific proof matters. Some cases have been dismissed where a claimant could not connect Zurn equipment to an asbestos-containing component, while Zurn’s insurance litigation confirms a substantial broader history of underlying asbestos claims.

Selected Court Records

Claims We Do Not Invent

📋 Zurn / Erie Boiler Claim Evidence & Product Identification

A Zurn-related asbestos claim requires more than identifying an industrial boiler. The evidence should establish the manufacturer, model, worksite, dates, asbestos-containing material and whether the material was original equipment or a later third-party replacement. The 2014 Pennsylvania decision is a useful warning: evidence that rope gaskets were used on boilers generally was not enough when the witness did not connect those gaskets and asbestos content specifically to Zurn boilers.

Evidence That May Help Document Exposure

• Medical records confirming an asbestos-related disease.
• Employment, union, Social Security or military records.
• Zurn or Erie City Iron Works boiler nameplates and serial numbers.
• Historical boiler catalogs, drawings and manuals.
• Smithsonian Erie City Iron Works trade literature where applicable.
• Installation, maintenance and overhaul records.
• Invoices identifying insulation, gasket, refractory or rope manufacturers.
• Photographs of the boiler and boiler room.
• Coworker testimony describing the exact boiler and dust-producing work.
• Evidence distinguishing original components from later replacement materials.

Product-Identification Checklist

Compensation is not guaranteed. Claim viability and value depend on disease, product and component identification, exposure evidence, corporate responsibility, insurance, jurisdiction and filing deadlines.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zurn Industries’ connection to Erie City Iron Works?

The Smithsonian states that Erie City Iron Works later became Zurn Industries’ Energy Division. Zurn’s own history also traces its 1900 beginning to John A. Zurn’s purchase of Erie City Iron Works backwater-valve patterns.

Did Zurn-related companies manufacture industrial boilers?

Yes. Zurn Elkay’s SEC filings expressly describe industrial boilers formerly manufactured by a segment of its subsidiaries, and Zurn’s official history states that it manufactured boilers during World War II.

Did Zurn manufacture asbestos?

The SEC states that the subsidiaries involved in the legacy boiler claims did not manufacture asbestos or asbestos components. Those components were purchased from suppliers.

Did every Zurn boiler contain asbestos?

No such universal conclusion is supported. In Krauss, the Pennsylvania Superior Court found the evidence insufficient to establish that the Zurn boilers at issue contained asbestos.

How many asbestos claims did Zurn report?

As of December 31, 2022, Zurn-related subsidiaries and numerous unrelated companies were defendants in approximately 6,000 asbestos lawsuits representing approximately 7,000 claims. Those are historical figures and should not be treated as the current 2026 count.

What happened to Zurn’s asbestos liabilities in 2023?

On December 15, 2023, Zurn Holdings sold Zurn Industries, LLC and three other subsidiaries holding asbestos liabilities and related assets to Zilco Holdings, Inc. Zurn Elkay states that it thereafter had no obligation for pending and future asbestos claims related to the divested entities.

Does Zurn Industries have an asbestos bankruptcy trust?

No Zurn Industries-specific §524(g) asbestos personal-injury trust was confirmed from the primary SEC, company and court sources reviewed. The 2023 transaction was a stock sale/divestiture, not the creation of a bankruptcy trust.

What evidence may support a Zurn boiler asbestos claim?

Medical records, work history, boiler nameplates, model and serial information, historical catalogs, maintenance records, component invoices and credible coworker testimony can help establish product-specific exposure.

Submit Your Case

Call 800.291.0963
Live chat is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
Submit Your Case

Working around a Zurn or Erie City Iron Works boiler does not automatically establish asbestos exposure, disease causation, legal liability or compensation. The boiler, asbestos-containing component, supplier, original or replacement status, work activity, exposure history, corporate responsibility, medical evidence and applicable law must be evaluated individually. Compensation is not guaranteed.