The table below reveals just how widespread asbestos is. Everyone from Naval shipyard workers, insulating or working on the larger boilers protected by asbestos, to teachers, working in an under construction building, may have been exposed.
While there is no known safe level of asbestos exposure, being exposed to asbestos doesn't automatically mean you'll get asbestos cancer. Additionally, if you have some of these products in your home or at your business, you can't tell if they have asbestos in them simply by looking at them, and they may well not. Many companies provide asbestos testing services; if asbestos is found, contact a reputable asbestos remediation company to safely remove the asbestos. For more information, please see the EPA's web site on asbestos.
| Product | Location | % Asbestos | Dates of Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing & Siding | |||
| Roofing felts | Flat, built up roofs | 10-15 | 1910-present |
| Roof felt shingles | Roofs | 1 | 1971-1974 |
| Roofing shingles | Roofs | 20-32 | ?-present |
| Roofing Tiles | Roofs | 20-30 | 1930-present |
| Siding shingles | Siding | 12-14 | ?-present |
| Clapboards | Siding | 12-15 | 1944-1945 |
| Walls & Ceilings | |||
| Sprayed coating | Ceilings, walls, and steelwork | 1-95 | 1935-1978 |
| Troweled coating | Ceilings, walls | 1-95 | 1936-1978 |
| Asbestos-cement sheet | Near heat sources such as fireplaces, boilers | 20-50 | 1930-present |
| Spackle | Walls, ceilings | 3-5 | 1930-1978 |
| Joint compounds | Walls, ceilings | 3-5 | 1945-1977 |
| Textured paints | Walls, ceilings | 4-15 | ?-1978 |
| Millboard, rollboard | Walls, commercial buildings | 80-85 | 1925-? |
| Vinyl wallpaper | Walls | 6-8 | ? |
| Insulation board | Walls | 30 | ? |
| Floors | |||
| Vinyl-asbestos tile | Floors | 21 | 1950-1980? |
| Asphalt-asbestos tile | Floors | 26-33 | 1920-1980? |
| Resilient sheet flooring | Floors | 30 | 1950-1980? |
| Mastic ashesives | Sheet flooring and tile backing | 5-25 | 1945-1980? |
| Pipes & Boilers | |||
| Cement pipe and fittings | Water and sewer mains | 20-? | 1935-present |
| Block insulation | Boilers | 6-15 | 1890-1978 |
| Preformed pipe wrap | Pipes | 50 | 1926-1975 |
| Corrugated asbestos paper | Pipes, high temp.; moderate temp. | 90; 35-70 | 1935-1980?; 1910-1980? |
| Paper tape | Furnaces, steam valves, flanges, electrical wiring | 80 | 1901-1980? |
| Putty (mudding) | Plumbing joints | 20-100 | 1900-1973 |
| Other Products | |||
| Gaskets/Packing | Pipe flanges, boiler doors, valves, pumps | 10-80 | 1900-1980s |
| Cloth/Blankets | Welding accessory, pipe insulation, curtains, clothing | 40-100 | 1900-1985 |
| Clothing (gloves, mittens, sleeves, aprons, coats, jackets, pants, hoods, spats) | Heat and fire resistant protective clothing | 40-100 | 1900-1985 |
| cement/mortar | Used as a castable insulation on furnaces, pipes, boilers, brick | 5-100 | 1900-1975 |
| metal-clad firebrick | Found in Open Health Furnaces and Basic Oxygen Furnaces | 10 | 1950-1980s |
| gunnite/fire-proofing spray | Sprayed onto furnaces as well as structural steel for fireproofing protection | 20-75 | 1900-1980s |
| hot-tops (ingot mold covers and inserts) | Used with ingot molds in the steel pouring process | 10-80 | 1960-1980 |
At its peak, 1.7 million workers were employed by U.S. Naval shipyards. Asbestos cladding and insulation was so widely used on ships that every one of these workers was likely exposed to asbestos. [High risk asbestos jobs.]
Mesothelioma cancer is a tumor affecting the thin membranes lining some of the body's internal cavities and organs. An aggressive and deadly cancer, mesothelioma's only known cause is asbestos exposure, making it exceedingly preventable, had asbestos companies cared to try. [Mesothelioma asbestos cancer.]
Interested in learning about new and novel treatments for asbestos cancer? Reading up on the latest clinical trials can be a good way to learn about the cutting edge in medical research. You may even find a program you and your physician think you could benefit from participating in. [Asbestos Cancer: Clinical Trials]
With a century of medical evidence, secret memos, and long-winded depositions, asbestos attorneys have their work cut out for them. Couple this with the task of finding specific job sites and products for each client, and it's clear to see why asbestos lawsuits are complex.
Asbestos lawyers who have been involved since the beginning have the experience and knowledge to aggressively try your case. [Asbestos Cancer Lawyers.]