Asbestos Containing Products

The following list of asbestos products was updated on 1/11/2007 to include new product findings.

The Environmental Protection Agency banned any use of asbestos in new products in 1989, and sought to regulate incidents where it is already in use. Because the level of asbestos proliferation is well known, experts frequently speculate about a future pandemic of asbestos-related conditions because symptoms of these conditions do not appear until 20 to 30 years after exposure. 

1. Asbestos construction products:

There are a number of asbestos containing construction products because it is a strong and versatile element.  Some of the more common asbestos products include:

• Acoustical panels
• Acoustic tiling
• Adhesive
• Asbestos board
• Asbestos cloth
• Asbestos sponge block
• Asbestos-faced mineral wool
• Asbestos textile
• Asbestos tiling
• Asphalt
• Attic insulation
• Bonding cement
• Calcium silicate insulation
  
• Ceiling Tiles
• Ceramic tiles
• Cork Board
• Cork Coverings
• Flooring backing
• Tiles Wallboard
• Siding and Roofing Friction Materials
• Roofing shingles
• Vinyl floor tiles
• Vinyl wall flooring
• Insulation – found in and around pipes, air ducts, boilers, thermal paper products, and electrical wiring.
• Spackling
• Patching
• Taping Compounds
• Putty
• Caulk adhesives
• Joint compounds
• Thermal tape
• Fireproofing
• Acoustical Texture Products
• Textured paint and coatings
• Decorative tiling
• Fire blankets
• Curtains
• Doors

2. Other asbestos-containing products:

• Textile and Cloth Products
• Blankets
• Pajamas
• Oven mitts
• Aprons
• Gloves
• Gaskets and Packings
• Industrial packing compounds
• High pressure packing materials
• Extreme temperature gaskets.
• Friction materials
• Railroad
• Automotive brakes
• Clutches
• Laboratory hoods and table tops

3. Asbestos containing brakes

Brake pads have to withstand huge amounts of extreme heat caused by the friction of braking, and asbestos helps the pads resist damage.  Unfortunately, as the brakes degrade they can release potentially deadly asbestos fibers into the air. 

The two primary offenders of asbestos containing brakes are Raymark Corporation and Bendix.  Raymark was named by the U.S. Department of Justice as the subject of a $20 million lawsuit in 1997 that claimed they polluted the environment with asbestos for 70 years as they manufactured their asbestos containing brakes. Bendix used asbestos in brake pads up until 2002, until they were successfully sued for $53 million due to the death of a New York man.  These companies were named in other successful legal actions by victims of asbestos containing brakes, and currently there are 47,000 pending lawsuits against Bendix alone.

W.R. Grace Libby Mine, Montana. Asbestos and Zonolite

Zolonite is the brand name of W. R. Grace and Company-produced vermiculite, an asbestos-related product used in a variety of horticulture products, brake pads, acoustic tiles, and insulation.

NPR Story on W.R Grace Aired 11/02/2006:

A story on National Public Radio that aired on 11/2/2006 illustrated the asbestos problems facing the people of Libby Montana.

Although W.R. Grace has a number of asbestos processing plants throughout the country, a large mining operation in Libby, Montana was shut down by the U.S. government in 1990 in response to the dangers posed by asbestos mines.  Unfortunately, more than 35 million people have some form of Zolonite and vermiculite in their homes.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring, fibrous element that has been used since ancient times. Historically, asbestos has been used in a diverse amount of products such as fabrics and lamp wicks. Ancient peoples valued the tough material, because it is flame repellant and durable. The modern post-industrial era utilizes asbestos in over 3000 products, most extensively in the construction industry. Tiling, cement, insulation, car brakes and gaskets are all known to contain asbestos.