Asbestos Facts and History

Asbestos is a mineral that is mined from the earth. It has been very useful as a raw material for building and manufacturing, mostly because of its insulating and fire-retardant properties, resistance to chemicals, high tensile strength, and low cost. But because its crystal form is different from other minerals, being made of long, thin, fibers, it is very dangerous to human health. The long, thin fibers are also tiny, light, and fluffy so they can float around in the air like tiny needles, be breathed in by humans, and work their way through lung and other tissue, slowly damaging the body. Asbestos fibers can cause cancer 10 to 40 years after a person breathes them in.

History of Asbestos

Although commercial production of asbestos began in the late 1800s, its history extends back thousands of years and it has been used in thousands of applications in millions of buildings worldwide. In the 1900s, asbestos was first used in the United States. It was most heavily used from the 1940s to the 1970s. Most public schools and many other public and commercial buildings contain asbestos. It is used much less often now. However, since asbestos_related disease takes from 10 to 40 years to appear after exposure, people who were exposed to asbestos during the peak years of its use are still getting sick.

Historical Knowledge of the Dangers of Asbestos

The ancient Romans knew of asbestos' properties and used it in woven form for clothing, bedding and even burial shrouds. They reported, through Pliny the Elder and others, of the disease and death suffered by slaves who spent their short lives weaving asbestos cloth. The first "modern" deaths due to asbestos disease were reported at the turn of the last century, and the asbestos and insurance industries spent the better part of 20th century denying that asbestos was harmful and taking every step possible to make sure the public did not discover how lethal a product it really was.

Which Products Have Contained Asbestos?

Few products manufactured today contain asbestos, and those that do must be clearly labeled. This is because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have banned most uses of asbestos, and manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to limit its use.

Still, many old products and materials are still in use, and contain asbestos. Also, people can become ill today from asbestos products that they encountered many years ago. Here is a partial list of those products.

Products That Used To or Still Contain Asbestos:

PIPE INSULATION

Until 1973, almost all pipe insulation contained asbestos. Asbestos pipe insulation was used in all kinds of settings, from industrial buildings to schools to commercial buildings, and more....

The two most common types of asbestos insulation were called 85Mag and CalSil. Both are off-white, chalky, rigid, and dusty. No other kind of insulation looked like that. All off-white, chalky, rigid, dusty insulation manufactured before 1973 contains asbestos.

A less-common type of asbestos insulation was called Unibestos. It was dark grey and rigid, and looked like cardboard.

Asbestos insulation came in three main forms: half-rounds, blocks , and mud (also called cement). All are made of the same material. The half-rounds and blocks came in 3-foot lengths, from ½ inch up to 2 or 3 inches thick.

Lagging

Lagging is another term for pipe insulation.

85Mag

85Mag is the original pipe insulation. Before 1960, all asbestos pipe insulation was made out of 85Mag.

85Mag was discovered by a pharmacist in the early 1900s, by accident, when he spilled milk of magnesia onto a radiator. After the milk of magnesia foamed up and dried, the pharmacist noticed that he couldn't feel the heat of the radiator through it. He figured this could be a useful property if he could just make it into a stronger substance, so he added 15% asbestos fibers as a binder.This made the substance hard enough to cut with a simple saw, and gave it its name: 85Mag. It contains approximately 85% magnesia and 15% asbestos.

The problem with 85Mag was that it didn't insulate well at temperatures over 300-400 degrees, so eventually it was replaced by CalSil.

CalSil

CalSil was made like 85Mag, but with 85% calcium silicate and 15% asbestos. CalSil was introduced in the 50s, and by the 60s it replaced 85Mag, except in limited applications. (85Mag was cheaper, so when they could get away with it, people would use it.)

Unibestos

Unibestos is the trade name for a unique type of asbestos pipe insulation made of 100% asbestos. New, it was fibrous, grey with a slight brownish cast, and rigid. It looks like cardboard. It's sticky and prickly to the touch, so most insulators did not like to use it. In later years it came with a plastic cover that had to be cut through.

Since it was made of 100% asbestos, it caused a high level of exposure to asbestos.

Unibestos wasn't used as much as 85Mag or CalSil. It was mostly used for extremely high temperature pipes. It was also often used on stainless steel pipes (very widespread in the nuclear industry), and on tracer lines in refineries, because it was available in a smaller diameter than 85Mag or CalSil.

Any dark grey insulation in a high temperature application or on stainless steel is Unibestos.

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ASBESTOS CLOTH

Asbestos cloth is a fire-proof cloth woven from asbestos fibers. Although it is made of a mineral, asbestos cloth looks and feels just like an off-white cotton tea towel. The first asbestos sicknesses were discovered in the people who made asbestos cloth.

From ancient times until 1972, asbestos cloth was widely used. Historical records show that asbestos cloth was used by ancient Egyptian pharaohs. During the Middle Ages, Charlemagne, a Roman emperor, used to impress his guests after a banquet by throwing the table cloth into the fire to clean it. He'd leave it in awhile to burn off all of the food scraps, then snatch it from the flames to show that it was as good as new. This appeared to be magic, but the secret was just that the table cloth was made of asbestos cloth.

Asbestos cloth was used in so many ways that refineries, power plants, chemical companies, and other industries had their own supply of it to give to workers. The workers used to take the cloth home to their families to make clothing, mittens, and hot pads. It was fun to use in the kitchen, because it looked and felt just like cotton, but it wouldn't burn.

Clothing, Mittens, Theater Curtains, Hot Pads

All of the above were made from asbestos cloth until these uses were banned in 1972.

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WELDERS' CLOTHING AND CLOTH

Welders use asbestos cloth extensively, to control sparks, to wrap pipes when they're doing stress-relieving on pipes, and for other uses. They also wear protective fire-proof clothing made of asbestos cloth.

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FIREFIGHTERS' SUITS

Firefighter suits, up until the mid-1970s, were made of asbestos cloth.

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VALVE PACKING

Valve packing is used inside valves to create a tight seal. It's made of graphite woven into asbestos cloth and packed into the valve.

A valve is a special kind of joint or switch used where pipes come together, to control the flow of whatever is inside the pipes. A valve has a knob that can be screwed down to shut off the flow of steam or fluid inside the pipe, or unscrewed to increase the flow. There has to be something to prevent steam or fluid from leaking around the valve knob, and that's called the packing.

In refineries, power plants, chemical companies and ships there are valves everywhere. We're talking valves that get huge. A valve can be any size, from tiny to many feet across. Any hot pipes, steam piping, etc. have valves with asbestos packing in them.

Valve packing wears out over time and must be replaced, and it is during the removal process that the highest exposure to asbestos occurs.

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GASKETS

Gaskets are used to help seal joints in pipes, and they used to be made of asbestos mixed with rubber. Some gaskets came pre-cut, but usually gasket material came in large sheets, especially in industrial and shipboard settings.

Pipefitters use gaskets a great deal. Pipes run in 8/12 foot sections, and since life does not come in 8/12 foot sections, pipes have to be cut and joined to fit into a building. At every joint there is a gasket.

Asbestos exposure comes from cutting new gasket material as well as from removing old, worn-out gaskets.

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REFRACTORIES/BOILERS

All boilers have the same purpose: to heat water for steam. In doing so, they of course get extremely hot.

A refractory is a material that can withstand high temperatures. Boilers need to be lined and sometimes covered with refractory materials, so that the high heat won't destroy the boiler. Until 1972, asbestos was used as a refractory material in boilers.

Boilers come in sizes ranging from a packaged boiler of a few feet across to industrial boilers that are eight stories tall and hundreds of feet long and wide, and are actually large buildings in themselves.

Asbestos Block, Cloth, and Cement in Boilers

Asbestos block is used to line the steel on the inside of boilers. Boilers in power plants also have asbestos covering the outside. Asbestos cloth and cement are used along with the asbestos block.
Whenever a boiler is built, repaired, or demolished, the asbestos refractory must be cut or crushed, creating dangerous asbestos dust.

Fire brick is another type of refractory used in boilers, but it's made of ceramic and does not contain asbestos. It can stand much higher temperatures than asbestos.

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DRYWALL

With rare exceptions, interior walls in commercial buildings are made out of sheets of wallboard, called drywall. Drywall generally does not contain asbestos, but drywall mud does contain asbestos. Drywall taping was a primary source of exposure in commercial settings before 1973. Drywall dust was a danger to the drywall hangers who did the taping and sanding, and any workers who were in the area while dust was in the air. Also, anyone involved in demolition of old drywall could be exposed to asbestos dust.

Drywall Mud

Drywall mud is a cement-like material used to smooth seams and nail holes in drywall. Its purpose is to make the wall look perfectly smooth. To get the smoothest surface, the mud is sanded after it dries. Before 1973, drywall mud contained asbestos, and when sanded it created a lot of dust that was dangerous to anyone in the area.

Topping Compound

Topping compound is a specialized kind of drywall mud used for the very top layer, spread more finely and widely than the previous coats, then sanded. It also was used for spray-on wall texture.

Joint Compound

Joint compound is a specialized kind of drywall mud, used for the first and second layers, to cover large holes, seams, and cracks, and to get a smooth surface.

All-purpose Compound

All-purpose compound is an all-purpose drywall mud, used for any level of mudding.

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TEXTURED PAINT

Textured walls are found mostly in residential settings. A textured wall is one that has been made not-smooth on purpose, as a style choice. This is done with spray-on texture, also called textured paint, which is paint with a gritty substance mixed into it.

Before 1974, all textured paints contained asbestos. When it was sprayed on walls, there was always overspray spray that went where it wasn't supposed to go, such as on windows or onto the floor. Somebody had to clean up the overspray, and that person was exposed to asbestos when they scraped, sanded, and swept up the dried textured paint.

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CEMENT ASBESTOS

Cement asbestos was a kind of cement that contained asbestos fibers. You could buy it in the form of pipes or boards. It caused high exposures to asbestos to the workers who carried, cut, removed, and built things with it.

Common cement did not ever contain asbestos. Common cement liquid pouring was not an asbestos danger.

Transite

Transite was a trade name for a brand of cement asbestos, but the word Transite came to be used as a generic term for all brands of cement asbestos board. There were several other brands of cement asbestos board in use, but any of them might have been referred to as Transite. Even the studies of cement asbestos board are called "Transite Studies," although they cover all brands.

Cement Asbestos Pipe

This was pipe made out of ordinary Portland cement mixed with asbestos. The asbestos in this instance is being used as a fiber reinforcement. It was almost always used for water transmission pipes. It looks just like grey cement pipe.

It is from 12-18% asbestos and was a major source of asbestos exposure. It was used from the 1960s through the 1980s, especially in California when the state was growing like crazy.

Cement asbestos pipe was banned in California in 1986, but it's still used in other countries, and it's still in place in many areas.

Cement Asbestos Board

This was a cement asbestos in the form of a flat 4x8 sheet. It was made out of the same material as cement asbestos pipe. It was used in buildings everywhere: schools built in the 1960s, refineries, walls and roofs of large buildings, asbestos shingles on houses. Though it has been banned, much of this cement asbestos board is still where it was put in the first place, and can cause asbestos exposure when buildings are demolished.

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FRICTION PRODUCTS

Friction products are brakes and other products that contain brake pads. Asbestos friction products were used into the 1980s, and were only discontinued because they were replaced by disk brakes. It is still possible to get asbestos brake pads for old cars.

Brakes

Brake pads for auto or truck drum brakes are made of asbestos cloth saturated with polymers, bound together, and formed into the right shape. Asbestos exposure comes from cleaning old brake pad dust out of wheel wells, and from cutting and shaping new brake pads to fit the brake.

New autos and trucks have disk brakes which do not use pads and do not contain asbestos.

Cranes

The way to stop a crane from going up or down is to apply brakes, and the brakes are essentially the same as drum brakes on cars, with brake pads made of asbestos, exposing crane operators to asbestos.

Clutches

A clutch is just a brake inside the transmission. Clutch pads get replaced just like brake pads, but it's a more difficult job, usually done by a mechanic rather than at home. Clutches and brakes work the same way and cause the same kind of exposure.

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MUFFLERS

Where the muffler connects to the tail pipe, the gaskets used to be made of asbestos. So removing and installing mufflers caused asbestos exposure.

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ELECTRIC PRODUCTS

Before the 1970s, wire, cable, appliances, and arc panels were made with asbestos.

Electric Wire and Cable

Electric wire and cable used to be covered in cloth, with a fibrous off-white material underneath, surrounding copper wire. Later, the cloth was replaced with a plastic cover. Asbestos exposure comes from stripping the wire to join it to something. Electricians and home appliance repairman sometimes got a dangerous level of exposure in this way.

Restaurant Equipment

Commercial ovens in the 1950s and 1960s were lined with asbestos board and had asbestos wiring.
Old Appliances

All appliances in the 1950s and 1960s had asbestos wiring. Ranges, ovens, and stoves were filled with asbestos. All home appliances were filled with it: electric fry pans, electric can openers, toasters. Old appliances with cloth wiring on them almost all contain asbestos.

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ARC PANELS

Arc panels are found in large buildings, where electricity comes in from the outside to be distributed around the building. At the point of entry of the electricity, there's a large hand-operated circuit breaker; when you operate it a spark occurs. If there's nothing behind it to protect the wall or the equipment, it will start a fire. So there is usually an off-white ceramic-looking material there called an arc break or arc panel.

Arc panels are made of asbestos. They get dirty, and electricians get exposed to asbestos when they use a wire brush to clean them.

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CEILING SPRAY

Ceiling spray is what gives some ceilings a bumpy texture. Until about 1976, it contained 3-12% asbestos. People who applied ceiling spray could get exposed to asbestos because the asbestos becomes airborne and instantly dries, and can be inhaled. Cleanup also exposes workers to asbestos. Spraying on the ceiling texture makes a big mess, because the spray gets on the floor and other places where it is not wanted. Once it dries it has to be scraped off. This creates dust which can be inhaled.

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CEILING TILE

Ceiling tiles rarely contain asbestos, except in schools and federal buildings where they have special fire ratings.

Sound-deadening Board

Sound-deadening boards do contain asbestos.

Ceiling Tile Dust

Workers who install computer cables, telephone wires, or pipes in a finished building get exposed to asbestos dust that has settled on top of the ceiling tiles over time. Brushing, dusting, and disturbing this dust creates a whole new set of problems.

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FIREPROOFING SPRAY

In 1961 in Las Vegas, a huge fire at the MGM Hotel melted the steel beams. The hotel collapsed, killing 80 people and causing new regulations requiring all steel beams to be fireproofed.

Until recently, the fireproofing spray had 1-15% asbestos in it. It is still there, covering the steel beams in all buildings built after 1961.

Fireproofing Dust in Utility Rooms

Spray fireproofing is still a major source of the contamination of utility rooms. In most commercial buildings, rooms where the electrical equipment was located were spray fireproofed. The fireproofing still releases asbestos. It's an ongoing release that affects people who work in utility rooms.

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FLOOR TILE

Most 9" or 12" square floor tiles from the late '40s through the '70s, and some in the '80s, contained asbestos. While sheet-style floor coverings did not contain asbestos, their paper backing did. Also, the glues used to hold down floor coverings contained asbestos. Handling it alone is not an exposure. Exposure came during installation and especially during removal, when it would be scraped and sanded vigorously.

Vinyl Asbestos Tile

Also known as VAT, it is all 5-10% asbestos. VAT is found everywhere. It comes in squares and all the patterns are copyrighted, so if you have a picture of the tile, you can figure out which company made it.

Floor Tile Mastics (Glue)

The glue used to hold down floor tile also contained asbestos.

Linoleum

Linoleum is a generic term used for all kinds of floor coverings that came in sheets. True linoleum contains no asbestos, and neither did vinyl sheet goods, but all had a paper backing that was made of asbestos cloth.

Sheet Goods

Most sheet vinyl and linoleum, especially in commercial applications, came with a paper back on it as a fire protection. That's asbestos cloth. Because there's oils in linoleum and vinyl that make it flammable, the paper backing is there to reduce its flammability.

It feels like a felty paper or cardboard.

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STUCCO

Stucco was applied to houses using a gun. Until of late '70s, it was made of ordinary Portland cement with a small amount, usually 5% or less, asbestos. If you're the applicator, mixing it is an exposure. But for others, the major exposure is the cleanup. There's overspray that has to be chipped away. Plumbers have to chip it away all the time to run their pipes through the outside of a house. This is a big residential exposure.

Stucco is used on both the inside and outside of large commercial buildings

Decorative Brick Mortar

Another place you'll find stucco, or plastic gun cement, is in residential decorative brick, where you see the brick come up from 2-3 feet around the bottom of the house. The mortar there is usually plastic gun cement. Because it troweled on so nicely and was easier to control, the masons used it.

Plastic Gun Cement

Another name for stucco or decorative brick mortar.

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OTHER ASBESTOS PRODUCTS

We can't possibly list every product that contained asbestos, but here are a few more examples.

Kent Cigarettes Filters

From 1952-6, Kent made cigarettes filters out of asbestos. They called these filters the "Kent Micronite Filter."

Jewelry-making Supplies

Molds for gold and silver and abrasive products to polish the stone all used to contain asbestos.

Nose Cones on Missiles

Nose cones on missiles were made out of layers of asbestos cloth embedded in resin, built up, heated, and melted together. Workers used lathes to smooth and shape the nose cones, creating clouds of dangerous dust in a room where hundreds of people worked together.

False Teeth Molds

The molds used by dentists to create false teeth contained asbestos.

Play dough

Crayola crayons used to contain asbestos. Luckily, Play dough stayed moist and held in the asbestos, so it did not create dust that could endanger children using it. They could eat it, but eating asbestos doesn't generally hurt you. But it could have exposed workers to dust during the manufacturing process.

Crayolas

Crayola crayons used to contain asbestos. Luckily, similarly to Play dough, the asbestos was embedded in wax, so did not pose much of a danger to anyone using the crayons. But it could have exposed workers to dust during the manufacturing process.

Theater Curtains

All theater curtains have to be fire rated. Prior to the 1970s, all were made of asbestos.

Fake Snow

Fake snow, both for movies and Christmas trees, used to be made of asbestos. It was used in movie lots and by theater companies. They also sold it commercially, so you could take asbestos and sprinkle it on your Christmas tree at home.

Hair Dryers

Blow dryers in the 1960s and 1970s had asbestos inside them. They were referred to by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as "asbestos blowguns."

Bakelite

Bakelite is a plastic-like product that was used for electrical equipment, cooking pot handles, and other uses. It can be up to 50% asbestos.

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If you or a family member has been diagnosed with an asbestos related illness and would like more information concerning your legal rights, please contact us.  You may submit our online case evaluation or call us at 1-800-718-4658 for an immediate free evaluation of your potential case.