Asbestos was used in thousands of products across construction, automotive, industrial, and even household applications, primarily because of its remarkable resistance to heat, fire, and chemical breakdown. At its peak in 1973, the United States consumed 794,000 metric tons of asbestos fiber in a single year. Today, nearly all of those uses have been phased out or banned due to the mineral’s link to cancer and lung disease, with the EPA finalizing a comprehensive ban on remaining commercial uses in March 2024.
Why Asbestos Was So Widely Used
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral made up of microscopic fibers that have an unusual combination of physical properties. The fibers are strong enough to reinforce building materials, flexible enough to be woven into fabric, and resistant to heat at temperatures ranging from 600°C to over 1,000°C depending on the type. They don’t burn, don’t dissolve in water, barely react with acids or bases, and resist biological breakdown. On top of all that, asbestos is a natural insulator against heat, electricity, and sound.
No single synthetic material could match that combination cheaply, which is why manufacturers mixed asbestos into such a wide range of products from the early 1900s through the 1980s.
Construction and Building Materials
Construction was the single largest consumer of asbestos. Builders used it in nearly every part of a structure. Asbestos cement sheets, both flat and corrugated, served as siding and roofing. Shingles made with asbestos cement were common on homes built before 1980. Inside, asbestos showed up in vinyl floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, boiler coverings, and duct systems.
Insulation was one of the most widespread applications. Asbestos was sprayed onto steel beams as fireproofing, wrapped around pipes and boilers to retain heat, and molded into rigid insulation boards. Laminated asbestos paper was a standard material for pipe covering in both residential and commercial buildings. Even electrical conduits used asbestos cement for its combination of durability and electrical insulation.
If your home was built before the mid-1980s, there is a real chance it contains asbestos in at least one material. You cannot identify asbestos by looking at it. The EPA recommends having suspect materials tested by a qualified laboratory, but only if the material is damaged (crumbling or fraying) or if you’re planning a renovation that would disturb it. Intact, undisturbed asbestos materials generally don’t release fibers and are considered lower risk.
Automotive and Industrial Parts
Asbestos was a go-to material in any application involving friction and high heat. Brake pads and brake linings in cars and trucks relied on asbestos fibers for decades because the material could absorb repeated high-temperature stress without breaking down. Clutch plates, transmission components, and gaskets also contained asbestos for the same reasons.
Beyond vehicles, industrial machinery used asbestos in friction materials, valve packing, and heat-resistant gaskets. The chlor-alkali industry, which produces chlorine and sodium hydroxide, used asbestos diaphragms as a core part of its manufacturing process. This was actually one of the last remaining industrial uses of asbestos in the U.S. before the 2024 ban.
Textiles and Fireproofing
Because asbestos fibers are flexible enough to be spun and woven, they were used to make fire-resistant fabrics. Firefighter suits, industrial gloves, and protective blankets for welders all incorporated asbestos textiles. In theaters, the curtains, side legs, and border drapes hung near stage lighting were commonly woven with asbestos through the 1980s to prevent fire.
Aircraft insulation blankets were another textile application, using woven asbestos to protect cabin walls from engine heat. Factories that operated furnaces or handled molten materials relied on asbestos cloth and blankets as standard safety equipment.
Household Products
Asbestos reached consumers in ways most people wouldn’t expect. Hair dryers sold as early as 1965 contained asbestos components, and both professional salon models and home versions were eventually recalled. The Andis Company recalled tens of thousands of hand-held dryers sold to barbers and beauticians starting in 1973, and National Presto Industries recalled hundreds of thousands of bonnet and hood-type dryers and styling combs sold to consumers through retail stores.
Ironing board covers, toasters, pot holders, and stovetop heat diffusers also used asbestos. Some older homes still have asbestos-containing materials in places like vermiculite attic insulation, textured ceiling coatings (often called “popcorn ceilings”), and the backing on sheet vinyl flooring.
Why Asbestos Is Dangerous
The same properties that made asbestos useful also make it harmful. When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, they release microscopic fibers into the air. These fibers are small enough to reach deep into the lungs, and because asbestos resists chemical and biological breakdown, the body cannot dissolve or expel them. The fibers remain lodged in lung tissue permanently.
Over years or decades, embedded fibers cause chronic inflammation and direct physical damage to cells. They generate reactive oxygen species that damage DNA, activate genes that promote tumor growth, and disable genes that normally suppress tumors. This chain of damage can lead to asbestosis (scarring of the lung tissue that makes breathing progressively harder), lung cancer, and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining around the lungs or abdomen that is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Symptoms often don’t appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure.
Current Legal Status in the U.S.
In March 2024, the EPA finalized a rule banning all ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only type still imported into or used in the United States. This came more than three decades after Congress first directed the agency to regulate asbestos more aggressively.
The ban isn’t instant for every use. Asbestos in oilfield brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes, and most gaskets was banned within six months. Most asbestos-containing sheet gaskets face a two-year phaseout, with longer timelines of up to five years for gaskets used in titanium dioxide production and nuclear material processing. The chlor-alkali industry, which had been the largest remaining user, must transition all facilities away from asbestos diaphragms on a staggered schedule, with most converting within five years and the last facilities completing the switch within 12 years.
More than 60 countries had already banned asbestos before the U.S. finalized its rule. While no new asbestos products are entering the market, millions of older buildings, vehicles, and industrial sites still contain asbestos materials. The risk today is concentrated in renovation, demolition, and maintenance work that disturbs those legacy materials.