Asbestos was used in thousands of products throughout the 20th century, from the walls of your house to the brakes on your car to the toaster on your kitchen counter. Its heat resistance, strength, and low cost made it nearly universal in construction, automotive, and consumer goods until the health risks became undeniable. Many of these products remain in homes, buildings, and infrastructure today.
Building Materials
Construction was by far the largest use of asbestos, and older homes are full of it. If your house was built or renovated before 1990, any of the following could contain asbestos fibers:
- Floor tiles and sheet vinyl: Both the tiles themselves and the adhesive backing on vinyl sheet flooring commonly contained asbestos.
- Roofing and siding shingles: Asbestos was mixed into cement-based shingles to add durability and fire resistance.
- Textured and patching compounds: Joint compound, spackling paste, and textured wall coatings all used asbestos as a binding agent.
- Popcorn ceilings: Spray-on acoustic ceiling treatments applied before the early 1980s can contain up to 10% asbestos.
- Cement sheets and millboard: These were placed around wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, and furnaces as heat shields.
- Asbestos-cement pipe: An estimated 200,000 miles of asbestos-cement water pipe remain in use across U.S. municipal water systems. In most areas the pipe doesn’t release significant fibers, but in roughly 16% of U.S. water utilities where the water is chemically aggressive, consumers may be exposed to high concentrations.
Insulation
Insulation is the material most people associate with asbestos, and for good reason. Hot water and steam pipes in older buildings were commonly wrapped in asbestos blankets, tape, or a thick coating of asbestos-containing material. Oil and coal furnace insulation and door gaskets also used it extensively.
Vermiculite attic insulation deserves special attention. Over 70% of all vermiculite sold in the United States from 1919 to 1990 came from a single mine near Libby, Montana, which was contaminated with asbestos. This insulation was widely sold under the brand name Zonolite. It looks like small, shiny, accordion-shaped granules, typically gray-brown or gold. If your attic has loose-fill insulation that matches this description, treat it as if it contains asbestos until tested.
Automotive Parts
Asbestos was a standard ingredient in vehicle components that needed to withstand friction and heat. Brake pads and linings, clutch facings, and transmission parts all relied on asbestos fibers to resist the extreme temperatures generated during normal driving. Gaskets used in engine and exhaust manifolds also contained asbestos to seal compartments against heat. Even adhesives, sealants, and coatings throughout the vehicle could contain it.
Some aftermarket brake pads and vehicle friction products continued to use chrysotile asbestos until the EPA finalized a ban in March 2024, with most prohibitions taking effect by mid-2024.
Electrical Components
Asbestos showed up throughout older electrical systems. Wiring insulation in homes built before the 1970s sometimes used asbestos fibers woven into the coating around wires, providing a heat-resistant layer that reduced fire risk. Knob-and-tube wiring, common in homes built before the 1950s, used asbestos to protect the wires where they passed through framing. Electrical panels, cable wrappings, insulation paper around wires, and cement shielding at the base of electrical systems all contained asbestos in various forms.
Ships and Industrial Equipment
Shipbuilding was one of the heaviest users of asbestos. Engine rooms were packed with it: insulation on hot water and steam piping, insulation inside and outside boilers and tanks, bulkhead systems in living spaces, and machinery parts throughout the vessel. Naval and commercial ships built from the 1930s through the 1970s exposed generations of workers to extremely high fiber concentrations in enclosed spaces.
Industrial gaskets, known as beater-add gaskets, were used extensively in internal combustion applications and as sealing components in chemical processing equipment. Sheet gaskets in chemical production facilities will continue to be phased out through 2026, with certain exceptions for titanium dioxide production and nuclear material processing extending into the late 2030s.
Household Appliances
This is the category that surprises most people. Dozens of common household appliances manufactured before the mid-1980s contained asbestos components:
- Toasters: Used asbestos for heat and electrical insulation around heating elements.
- Hair dryers: Contained asbestos liners around the heating coils to prevent fire.
- Ovens and stoves: Asbestos pads, door gaskets, and internal insulation were extremely common.
- Ironing boards: Both the covers and internal padding contained asbestos for heat resistance.
- Slow cookers and crockpots: Models manufactured around the 1980s used asbestos as a heat-resistant insulator between the heating element and the outer casing.
- Dishwashers and washing machines: Asbestos insulation and gasket materials were used in components that generated heat.
- Electric blankets: Older models used asbestos for fireproofing around heating wires.
- Refrigerators: Door gaskets and insulation panels sometimes contained asbestos.
- Coffee pots and kettles: Asbestos cord insulation and heat shielding protected against high temperatures.
- Oven mitts: Heat-resistant gloves and pads were made with asbestos fabric.
Talc-Based Consumer Products
Talc and asbestos are minerals that form in similar geological conditions, which means talc deposits can be naturally contaminated with asbestos fibers. Questions about asbestos in talcum powder have persisted since the 1970s. The FDA has conducted ongoing testing of talc-containing cosmetic products, and in October 2019 issued a safety alert warning consumers not to use certain cosmetics that tested positive for asbestos. An earlier FDA survey in 2009-2010 found no asbestos in the samples tested, but the agency noted the results were limited because only four of nine talc suppliers submitted samples.
The concern extends beyond body powder to any cosmetic that uses talc as an ingredient, including some foundations, blushes, and eyeshadows. Products marketed to children have received particular scrutiny.
How to Handle Suspected Asbestos
Asbestos is only dangerous when its fibers become airborne and are inhaled. Material in good condition, left undisturbed, generally poses little risk. The danger comes from cutting, sanding, drilling, tearing, or otherwise disturbing asbestos-containing materials. This is why a renovation or demolition project in an older home is the most common way people encounter asbestos exposure today.
You cannot identify asbestos by looking at a material. The fibers are microscopic. If you suspect something in your home contains asbestos, the only reliable approach is to have a sample analyzed by a qualified laboratory. Until you know, the safest course is to leave the material alone. If it’s damaged or crumbling, or if you’re planning work that would disturb it, a licensed asbestos abatement professional can assess the situation and remove or encapsulate the material safely.