Products Containing Asbestos

Products containing asbestos are still a part of our everyday lives. This is because asbestos in decades past was incorporated into many types of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire-retardant.

Because of the fiber strength of asbestos, as well as its resistance to heat, asbestos has been used for a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.

When products and materials containing asbestos are damaged or disturbed by repair, remodeling or demolition activities, the asbestos dust and fibers become airborne and people can inhale them, thus causing significant health problems such as mesothelioma cancer, asbestosis or lung cancer from asbestos.

Products containing asbestos in the home

Some products containing asbestos include certain roofing and siding shingles that are made of asbestos cement. In addition, homes constructed from 1930-1950 may have asbestos as insulation. Asbestos may also be an ingredient in textured paint and in patching compounds used on wall and ceiling joints. Their use was banned in 1977, according to government health officials.

Other once-popular products containing asbestos include artificial ashes and embers sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces may contain asbestos. Older products such as stove-top pads may have some asbestos compounds. Your home may also have walls and floors around woodburning stoves that are protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets. Asbestos is also found in some vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives.

In terms of home plumbing and asbestos, hot water and steam pipes in older houses may be coated with an asbestos material or covered with an asbestos blanket or tape. Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets may have asbestos insulation.

Below is a list of other products that have been suspected of containing asbestos

Adhesives
Appliance components

Automotive products
Brake linings
Brake pads
Clutch plates

Ceilings Products
Acoustical plaster
Ceiling panels
Ceiling texture (Popcorn texture)
Ceiling tiles
Ceiling tile mastic

Cement-asbestos board (Transite) products
Chimney flue lining
Ducts
Pipes
Shingles
Siding
Wall panels

Chalkboards

Electrical products

Cloth wire insulation
Electrical breakers
Electrical panel arc chutes
Electrical panel partitions
Electrical panels
Insulating cloth

Fire protection products
Fire blankets
Fire curtains
Fire doors
Spray-on fireproofing

Heating and Cooling System products
Boiler insulation
Boiler breeching insulation
Cooling towers
Duct work insulation
Furnace insulation
Gaskets
Heat shields (paper and corrugated cardboard)
HVAC vibration dampeners
Pipe lagging insulation
Pipe elbow insulation
Tank insulation
Tank casings
Thermal taping compounds

Elevator equipment
Elevator car brake shoes
Elevator equipment panels

Flooring Products
Asphalt floor tiles
Carpet mastic
Coving mastic
Floor tile mastic
Vapor barriers
Vinyl floor tiles
Vinyl sheet flooring (linoleum)

Industrial use products

Beverage filters
Friction materials

Laboratory products
Heat resistant gloves
Laboratory hoods
Laboratory tables and countertops

Paints and coatings

Roofing Products
Base flashing
Felt
Shingles
Tar or "Black Jack"

Table pads

Wall Products
Decorative plaster
Caulking and putties
Spackling compounds
Vinyl wall coverings
Wall penetration packing materials
Wallboard joint compound
Wallboard or sheetrock

Window glazing

Vermiculite
Attic insulation
Fireplace decoration
Gardening products
Wall insulation

Cement Pipes
Elevator Brake Shoes
Cement Wallboard
HVAC Duct Insulation
Cement Siding
Boiler Insulation
Asphalt Floor Tile
Breaching Insulation Vinyl Floor Tile
Ductwork
Flexible Fabric Connections
Vinyl Sheet Flooring
Cooling Towers
Flooring Backing
Pipe Insulation (corrugated air-cell, block, etc.)
Construction Mastics (floor tile, carpet, ceiling tile, etc.)
Heating and Electrical Ducts
Acoustical Plaster
Electrical Panel Partitions
Decorative Plaster
Electrical Cloth
Textured Paints/Coatings
Electric Wiring Insulation
Ceiling Tiles and Lay-in Panels
Chalkboards Spray-Applied Insulation
Roofing Shingles Blown-in Insulation
Roofing Felt
Fireproofing Materials
Base Flashing Taping Compounds (thermal)
Thermal Paper Products
Packing Materials (for wall/floor penetrations)
Fire Doors High Temperature Gaskets
Caulking/Putties Laboratory Hoods/Table Tops
Adhesives
Laboratory Gloves
Wallboard Fire Blankets
Joint Compounds
Fire Curtains
Vinyl Wall Coverings
Elevator Equipment
Panels
Spackling Compounds

Products containing asbestos - legal resources

Contact us to receive a free Asbestos Sourcebook for more information about how you may have been exposed to asbestos. Please complete the form on the left for your copy.