Kentile Floors - Asbestos Product Manufacturers
Founded by Arthur Kennedy in Brooklyn, NY in 1898, Kentile Floors was a popular manufacturer of floor tiles. The company's plant, easily recognizable by the large purple neon sign that towered over its Brooklyn plant, claimed to be the home of "America's largest manufacturer of super-resilient floor tile."
Known for the bold patterns it produced on its vinyl tiles, Kentile and its floors became a hit nationwide. The company's "Crystalite Vinyl" tiles were especially popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
Kentile Floors and Asbestos
Unfortunately, Kentile Floors often contained asbestos that could harm the homeowner and anyone else who came in contact with the vinyl tiles. Such a toxic material was used in floor and ceiling tiles because it contributed to both durability fire-resistance. Vinyl-asbestos floor tiles may have contained as much as 25 percent asbestos, making them extremely toxic.
When intact, the tiles Kentile made were generally not hazardous. However, if they were cut to fit a certain application or damaged during installation or removal, they could easily emit dangerous asbestos fibers. If these fibers were inhaled, several different forms of asbestos-related disease could develop, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.
By 1992, Kentile Floors was facing tens of thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits. Later that year, the company filed bankruptcy. As with most companies that declare bankruptcy, the owners of Kentile hoped to reorganize and save the company, but attempts to do so failed. The company was also unable to organize a trust fund to compensate those who had filed asbestos claims. Kentile Floors closed permanently a few years later.
If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease as a result of working for Kentile Floors or working with any of the company's products and would like to learn more about treatment options or financial assistance to help pay for medical costs, please fill out the form on this page to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.
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