Asbestos is a common name given to a group of naturally occurring mineral fibers. The Greeks are known to have woven the fibers into lamp wicks as early as the 5
Century. Asbestos has since been incorporated into a wide variety of building products due to its abundance, low cost, strength, flexibility and insulating qualities. Adding asbestos to soft materials such as pipe insulation and acoustic plaster was banned in the U.S. by the late 1970s.
However, even today, asbestos can still be added to products that encapsulate or otherwise bind the fibers such as vinyl floor tile, cement pipe and asphalt roofing. While U.S. production has diminished, asbestos-bearing ores are found worldwide and countries such as Canada and Brazil remain major manufacturers and exporters of asbestos products.
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Asbestos-containing materials are known to be present in many of the buildings on campus. In some areas, asbestos has been identified in one or more of the products listed below. Click on the product to view a representative photo.
Asbestos is only a hazard when small particles become airborne, are inhaled and deposited within the lungs. Increased incidence of several illnesses including asbestosis, a debilitating lung disease, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lung or stomach cavity lining, have been observed in individuals who were persistently exposed to high levels of airborne asbestos in work environments such as mining, milling, shipbuilding, construction and manufacturing. Asbestos-containing materials in buildings pose no risk to health unless asbestos fibers become airborne and are inhaled. Intact, sealed and undisturbed materials are not a hazard.
Construction products in good condition will not release asbestos particles into the air. Hard products such as vinyl floor tile and cement shingles contain binders that completely encapsulate the asbestos for added protection. Asbestos in soft products such as pipe insulation may be completely sealed within a canvas or steel jacket. Walls, ceilings and floors may also act as barriers that separate occupied building areas from asbestos products found in mechanical rooms, crawlspaces and attics.
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EH&S is involved in an on-going effort to survey and identify asbestos-containing materials in the nearly 800 buildings on campus. If these materials are to be disturbed through demolition, building repair or abatement, specific safeguards (see photo below), must be followed to prevent exposure. Signs and labels (see photo below) are also used to demarcate asbestos products and abatement activities.
All renovation or demolition of campus buildings must be reviewed in advance by EH&S. If survey information is not available, EH&S will conduct a survey and designate acceptable safe work practices for abating asbestos-containing materials. Work that requires removal or repair of asbestos-containing material or the testing of suspect material is restricted to trained and certified individuals working under the direct supervision of EH&S.Because of the naturally soft, fibrous consistency of , the fireproof mineral was also made into felt for construction and manufacturing purposes until its toxicity was revealed to the public. Felt is a type of fabric made when textile fibers are compressed and heated or moistened so that they mat together. Felt was commonly made of animal hair or synthetic fibers.
Felt was used as an underlayment for floors and roofs. Paper mills also used sheets of it on which to dry hot paper pulp. The content of these products was historically 85%, with almost all manufacturers using the common chrysotile form, also known as “white .” Because felt is friable, which means it easily releases toxic dust particles into the air when worked with or disturbed, it poses a major exposure risk.
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Flooring felt is one of the few products completely banned in the U.S., and regulations now require other products to contain less than 1% . However, old felt remains in the floors and roofs of millions of American buildings constructed between 1900 and the 1990s. Roofers, flooring installers, demolition workers and paper mill workers have faced the greatest risk of exposure to this product.
In 2007, an exposure study published in Annals of Work Exposures and Health simulated work roofers performed using -containing roofing materials, including felt. Chrysotile fibers were detected in 28 of 84 air samples taken during the study.
Thankfully, the exposure level detected in the study suggested it is unlikely that current roofers are exposed to dangerous levels of over an eight-hour work shift. Unfortunately, former roofers have been exposed to dangerous levels of and have developed related diseases as a result.
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Roofers, flooring installers and paper mill workers inhaled fibers while applying or removing felt. Even when the product was new and in good condition it could easily release fibers during handling because of the way it was made.
In decades past, felt products contributed substantially to the occupational exposure that now results in -related deaths among retired blue-collar workers each year in fields including:
If you were exposed in the past, watch for symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, abdominal swelling and fatigue. Workers diagnosed with related diseases should see a doctor to ensure they receive the best treatment possible.
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Since the 1970s, thousands of construction workers and homeowners have filed lawsuits against manufactures of products, including felt manufacturers, after being diagnosed with illnesses such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. This sent many companies into bankruptcy.
Another major manufacturer of flooring products, Armstrong World Industries, was driven to bankruptcy in 2000 by the volume of lawsuits filed against it. As part of its reorganization, it established the Armstrong World Industries Trust in 2006 to provide compensation to present and future claimants. According to the trust’s 2014 annual report, it paid almost $100 million in claims that year, and its total value was about $1.8 billion.
In addition to lawsuits and trust fund claims, other forms of compensation include VA claims, Social Security Disability and grants for treatment or travel. An experienced mesothelioma attorney can offer the best guidance on the types of compensation for which you may qualify.
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If roofing or flooring installed before 1980 must be repaired or replaced, a sample of the underlayment should be tested for before the work gets underway. Consult a trained abatement professional before doing any work that may disturb an felt product.
Felt is friable, making it a particularly hazardous product no matter the percentage of content. Most felt in homes and businesses today is encapsulated under floor tiles and roof shingles. The safest thing to do in many cases is to leave it that way so fibers remain trapped.
In the early 1900s, a new construction method called built-up roofing became popular. During this process, several layers of fabric covered with tar or asphalt were laid down on top of one another. felt became the primary material used in many flat-topped buildings.
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Materials used in flooring installation also incorporated felt. Linoleum, asphalt and vinyl floor tiles all offered cheap and durable flooring solutions, and felt products were available as backing materials for all of them.
The rise of the office worker brought with it the advent of the modern paper industry, which found yet another application for felt. After trees are processed into wood pulp, the pulp must be dried before being made into paper. Laying the pulp out on sheets of felt allowed it to be dried at a high temperature, increasing the speed of production.
By the 1980s, however, corporations could no longer cover up the link between exposure and fatal diseases such as is and mesothelioma. As with most products, the use of felt has largely been phased out in the United States, though it remains a threat to workers and homeowners renovating old floors and roofs.
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Our free mesothelioma guide contains information on symptoms, top doctors, support resources and more. Get information tailored to your unique diagnosis, and learn about our free services.When it came to vinyl tiles and linoleum floor tiles, asbestos was the building material of choice for decades. Until the late 1980s, builders had used asbestos as masting and other ingredients to provide affordable and fireproof tiles and sheeting.
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However, because of asbestos’ history of causing lung cancer and other fatal illnesses, it fell out of favour in the construction industry. While you won’t find new sheet flooring products containing asbestos, the risk of exposure to asbestos fibers is still real in older buildings.
In this piece, we’ll take a look at how you can find, manage, and remove asbestos in flooring, linoleum, and vinyl included.
As with any asbestos-containing material (ACM), the first step to finding asbestos in linoleum sheet flooring and vinyl tiles is to check your Designated Substance Survey (DSS).
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The DSS should specify what parts of your buildings use asbestos. You’ll also look into
