Buffalo Pumps Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Claims

By David Meldofsky, California-licensed attorney · Founder, Lawsuit Informer

Last updated: July 4, 2026

Buffalo Pumps of Buffalo, New York grew out of the Buffalo Forge Company, founded in 1878, and became a major supplier of centrifugal pumps to the United States Navy from the World War II era onward, alongside a large industrial business ashore. Its shipboard pumps were sealed with asbestos-containing gaskets and packing, and sailors and workers who maintained them later brought asbestos claims that continue today against its successor, Air & Liquid Systems Corporation. One of those cases produced the Supreme Court's 2019 decision on the bare-metal defense.

Important:

This page provides general educational information about Buffalo Pumps asbestos litigation and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Allegations described here reflect claims made in litigation.

Key Takeaways:

There is no Buffalo Pumps trust fund. Claims proceed as lawsuits against successor Air & Liquid Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Ampco-Pittsburgh.
Exposure allegations usually involve asbestos gaskets and shaft packing removed and replaced during pump maintenance aboard ships and in industrial plants.
Navy machinist's mates, boiler technicians, shipyard workers, and plant maintenance crews appear most often in these cases.
Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, the 2019 Supreme Court decision rejecting the strict bare-metal defense in maritime cases, arose from Buffalo Pumps litigation.

Company Background

Buffalo Forge began in 1878 as a maker of forges and blacksmithing equipment and expanded into fans, blowers, and pumps. The Buffalo Pumps line supplied centrifugal pumps for condensate, feedwater, fire main, and general service aboard Navy vessels, and the same equipment ran in power plants and factories. Through later corporate changes, responsibility for the pump line passed to Air & Liquid Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, which is the entity that appears as the defendant in Buffalo Pumps asbestos cases today.

That succession is more than trivia. A sailor exposed aboard a destroyer in the 1960s is suing a differently named company today, and establishing the chain from Buffalo Pumps to the present defendant is a standard part of how these claims are built.

How Asbestos Exposure Happened Around Buffalo Pumps

The pumps were metal; the asbestos was in the sealing components. Buffalo pumps handling hot water and steam condensate used heat-resistant gaskets at casing joints and packing rings around the rotating shaft, and for decades those parts commonly contained asbestos, whether delivered with the pump or installed during later maintenance.

Exposure allegations center on that maintenance: scraping baked gaskets off flanges, digging worn packing out of the stuffing box, and cutting replacements. Aboard ship the work happened in confined, poorly ventilated machinery spaces, and it was repeated across a vessel's many pumps for the length of a deployment. For the broader picture of this exposure pathway, see asbestos exposure from industrial valves, pumps, and gaskets.

Jobs and Sites Often Involved

Navy machinist's mates and boiler technicians maintaining shipboard pumps
Shipyard workers overhauling pumps during availabilities and refits
Merchant marine engine room crews
Power plant and industrial maintenance workers ashore
Pump repair shop machinists
Millwrights servicing pumps during plant outages

Buffalo Pumps in Asbestos Litigation

Buffalo Pumps claims, brought against Air & Liquid Systems, have been a steady feature of asbestos litigation for decades, with a heavy concentration of Navy and maritime cases. There has been no bankruptcy and there is no trust fund, so claims proceed as ordinary lawsuits paid through settlements and, at times, verdicts.

The litigation's most visible product is Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, decided by the United States Supreme Court in 2019. The families of two Navy veterans alleged shipboard exposure from equipment, including pumps, that required asbestos components to function. The manufacturers argued the bare-metal defense: they shipped metal equipment and should not answer for asbestos parts added later by others. The Court disagreed for maritime cases, holding that a manufacturer has a duty to warn when its product requires incorporation of a part it knows will make the integrated product dangerous and it has no reason to think users will realize the danger. That standard now frames Navy equipment claims generally.

A Buffalo Pumps lawsuit also does not exclude other recoveries. Most veterans and workers were exposed to many products over a career, and claims against bankrupt manufacturers are often pursued through asbestos trust funds in parallel with a lawsuit against solvent defendants.

Illnesses Discussed in These Cases

Mesothelioma
Asbestos-related lung cancer
Asbestosis
Other asbestos-related conditions examined in litigation

Asbestos diseases have long latency periods, often 10 to 50 years between exposure and diagnosis, which is why claims today frequently involve service or work performed decades ago. See how asbestos exposure is proven decades later and asbestos claim deadlines after symptoms appear.

Records That Help Support a Buffalo Pumps Claim

Because these claims are litigated rather than handled through a trust process, the evidentiary record carries the case. Service records and ship assignments, machinery histories, shipyard and plant records placing Buffalo equipment at a site, shipmate and co-worker testimony, and medical records connecting the diagnosis all play a role. Our guide to asbestos records that help support a claim walks through this in detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a Buffalo Pumps asbestos trust fund?

No. Buffalo Pumps never went through an asbestos bankruptcy, and there is no Buffalo Pumps trust fund. Claims involving Buffalo equipment are pursued through the court system as lawsuits, with successor Air & Liquid Systems Corporation appearing as the named defendant.

Who is Air & Liquid Systems?

Air & Liquid Systems Corporation is the corporate successor responsible for the Buffalo Pumps product line and is a subsidiary of Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation. It is the entity named in Buffalo Pumps asbestos litigation, including the case that reached the United States Supreme Court in 2019.

What did the Supreme Court decide in the DeVries case?

In Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, decided in 2019, the Supreme Court held that in maritime tort cases an equipment manufacturer has a duty to warn when its product requires incorporation of a part, such as asbestos insulation, gaskets, or packing, the manufacturer knows the integrated product is likely to be dangerous, and it has no reason to believe users will realize that danger. The ruling rejected the strict bare-metal defense in the maritime context.

Diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis? Filing deadlines often begin from the date of diagnosis, not exposure. See if your situation may qualify with a free, no-obligation case review.

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About the Author

David Meldofsky is a California-licensed attorney and the founder of Lawsuit Informer, an educational platform focused on helping people understand lawsuits, consumer safety issues, and legal rights related to defective products and toxic exposures.

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Last Updated: July 4, 2026

Educational information only. Not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed.