Goulds Pumps Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Claims

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

Last updated: June 11, 2026

Goulds Pumps is one of the oldest pump manufacturers in the United States, and its industrial pumps ran for decades in power plants, refineries, paper mills, chemical plants, ships, and municipal water systems. For much of the twentieth century, many of those pumps were built or maintained with asbestos-containing gaskets and packing. Workers who repaired and rebuilt them, and who were later diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, have named Goulds Pumps in asbestos lawsuits for decades, and those cases continue today.

Company Background

Goulds Pumps was founded in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 and produced its first all-metal pump in 1849. Over the following century it became one of the dominant manufacturers of industrial centrifugal pumps in the country. ITT acquired the company in 1997, and Goulds continues to operate today as an ITT brand. In 2011, ITT spun off its water technology business into Xylem Inc., and in 2016 a corporate reorganization placed the legacy asbestos liabilities of ITT LLC and Goulds Pumps LLC into a dedicated holding entity.

That corporate history matters in litigation. A worker exposed in 1975 was working around equipment from a company whose ownership and liability structure has changed several times since. Identifying the correct present-day defendant for a decades-old exposure is a routine but important part of how these claims are built.

How Asbestos Exposure Happened Around Goulds Pumps

The pumps themselves were metal. The asbestos was in the components that sealed them. Industrial pumps moving hot or corrosive fluids needed heat-resistant gaskets where the casing halves met and rope-like packing around the rotating shaft, and for decades those components commonly contained asbestos, whether supplied with the pump or installed during later maintenance.

Exposure allegations in these cases usually focus on maintenance and repair rather than normal operation. Old gaskets baked onto flanges had to be scraped, chiseled, or wire-brushed off. Worn shaft packing had to be dug out of the stuffing box with picks and hooks. New gaskets were sometimes cut from asbestos sheet material. Each of those steps could release fibers into the worker's breathing zone, and the work was repeated across hundreds of pumps over a career.

For the broader picture of this exposure pathway, see asbestos exposure from industrial valves, pumps, and gaskets.

Jobs and Sites Often Involved

• Millwrights and industrial machinery mechanics who rebuilt pumps in place
• Machinists and pump repair shop workers
• Pipefitters and steamfitters working on connected piping systems
• Boiler operators and powerhouse workers in plants that ran banks of pumps
• Navy machinist's mates and shipyard workers, since Goulds pumps served aboard vessels
• Paper mill, chemical plant, refinery, and power plant maintenance crews

Related occupational pages include asbestos exposure in millwright and machinist work, asbestos exposure among pipefitters and steamfitters, asbestos exposure in power plants and refineries, and asbestos exposure in shipyards and naval service.

Goulds Pumps in Asbestos Litigation

Goulds Pumps has been a regular defendant in asbestos litigation since around the time of the ITT acquisition, and it remains an active one. Unlike many asbestos defendants, Goulds has never declared bankruptcy or established an asbestos trust fund. Claims involving its equipment proceed as ordinary lawsuits, and resolved cases are paid by the company and its corporate parent through settlements and, occasionally, trial verdicts.

Reported cases illustrate the pattern. In one South Carolina case, a paper mill worker employed from the 1950s to 2000 as a laborer, boiler operator, and evaporator operator developed mesothelioma; his claim was initially dismissed, and an appellate court revived it in 2015. In another, the family of a millwright who developed mesothelioma after years of work with gaskets and packing took their wrongful death case to trial, where a jury assigned Goulds a share of the liability before the case resolved.

A recurring legal issue in pump cases is responsibility for asbestos components made by someone else. Defendants in this position have argued they should not be liable for gaskets and packing supplied by third parties, while courts in several jurisdictions, including the United States Supreme Court in a 2019 maritime case, have held that an equipment manufacturer can have a duty to warn when its product requires asbestos-containing parts to function as intended. How that issue plays out depends on the jurisdiction and the facts, and it is one reason exposure details and product identification matter so much in these claims.

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 work performed decades ago. See how asbestos exposure is proven decades later and asbestos claim deadlines after symptoms appear.

Records That Help Support a Goulds Pumps Claim

Because Goulds claims are litigated rather than handled through a trust process, the evidentiary record carries the case. Work history records, union records, Social Security earnings statements, ship or plant records placing specific equipment at a site, 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 Goulds Pumps asbestos trust fund?

No. Goulds Pumps has never filed for bankruptcy or established a trust fund. Claims are pursued through the court system, which generally means working with counsel experienced in asbestos litigation rather than filing a trust claim form.

Can I still bring a claim if the exposure happened decades ago?

Often yes. Filing deadlines for asbestos claims generally run from the date of diagnosis rather than the date of exposure, though the rules vary by state. See asbestos claim deadlines after symptoms appear.

What if I worked around Goulds pumps but also other equipment?

That is typical. Most asbestos claims name multiple defendants because workers were exposed to many products over a career. Identifying each source of exposure, including pumps, valves, insulation, and gaskets from different manufacturers, is part of how these cases are normally built.

Who actually pays a successful Goulds Pumps claim?

Resolved claims are paid by the company and its corporate parent through the litigation process. Because of the ITT corporate restructuring over the years, identifying the correct defendant entity is part of the work counsel performs.

Related Asbestos Guides

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: June 11, 2026

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