How do I know if I have asbestos brake or clutch components?

You cannot find out whether brake or clutch components contain asbestos just by looking at them. For newer cars and parts, auto manufacturers, auto parts retailers and packaging information, such as labels or Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), may be able to tell you whether or not your brake or clutch components contain asbestos.

For older vehicles,or vehicles that have had brakes replaced, you may not be able to easily learn if the brake or clutch components contain asbestos.

As a best practice, OSHA recommends that mechanics should assume that all brakes have asbestos containing shoes. Worn non-asbestos-type brakes cannot be readily distinguished from asbestos-type shoes.

If a mechanic assumes incorrectly that a shoe is a non-asbestos type and fails to utilize brake dust control procedures, increased asbestos exposure may occur.