Asbestos in Electrical Wiring

What Types of Electrical Wiring Contain Asbestos?

Asbestos was common in many electrical wiring products from the 1930s to the late 1970s, such as older cloth wires and fuse boxes. In addition to wires and power cables, the term “electrical wiring” also includes circuit breakers, fuses, service panels, light fixtures, outlets and other parts of an electrical system.

Manufacturers used asbestos fibers to make electrical components fireproof, heat-resistant, abrasion-resistant and strong. Asbestos doesn’t conduct electricity, so it was ideal for wire insulating fibers, wire coverings, linings and thermoplastic parts.

By the early 1970s, the general public was becoming aware of the health dangers of asbestos exposure. Electrical wiring manufacturers started looking for substitute materials like gypsum, calcium silicate, expanded perlite, cellulose and polystyrene. General Electric stopped using asbestos in electrical wiring parts around 1977.

The Environmental Protection Agency banned some asbestos electrical products in 1989, such as breaker box linings and asbestos-cement panels. But companies could still import wiring and thermoplastic parts containing the toxic material. It wasn’t until 2024 that the EPA and Biden administration finalized a ban on all uses of chrysotile asbestos electrical products, including imported goods.

Other Asbestos Products Used With Electrical Wiring

Electricians and construction contractors frequently came into contact with other sources of asbestos near wiring systems. These asbestos-containing materials increased the risk of exposure to the toxic fibers. Some materials would crumble during replacement jobs, filling the air with asbestos dust. 

Asbestos Exposure Risks Around Electrical Components

• Generators and turbines: Industrial generators and turbines relied on asbestos gaskets and insulation to withstand high heat. Maintenance and repair work frequently disturbed these materials.
• Heating units: Asbestos seals and liners in heating units were often located near electrical systems. Deteriorating units could release fibers into shared spaces.
• Insulating spray coatings: Spray-applied insulation was widely used on structural steel and ceilings. Electricians working nearby during application or renovation faced significant exposure risk.
• Loose-fill insulation: This product was commonly blown into attics and wall cavities. When disturbed during electrical work, it can release asbestos fibers into the air.
• Plastic cement and sealant: Some asbestos-containing cements and sealants were used to secure wiring and seal electrical penetrations in walls and floors.
• Wallboards and block insulation: Asbestos-cement wallboards were commonly installed around electrical panels and in fire-prone areas. Cutting or drilling into them releases dangerous fibers.

Many homes and businesses used asbestos-cement wallboards in areas with potential fire hazards. Asbestos products were more widespread in commercial and industrial-grade electrical applications, where adequate replacements were harder to find.

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Companies Connected to Asbestos in Electrical Panels and Wiring

Electrical wiring manufacturers liked asbestos because it was affordable, resistant to electricity, heat-resistant and easy to mix with other materials. Some companies knew about the risks of asbestos fibers as early as the 1930s, but withheld this information from employees and customers for decades. 

Asbestos Electrical Product Manufacturers 

• Allen Bradley (Rockwell Automation)
• Cutler Hammer
• Detroit Fuse and Manufacturing Company
• General Electric
• Johns Manville
• Power Magnetics
• Quin-T Corporation
• Siemens Energy & Automation
• Square D
• Turner & Newall
• Union Carbide Corporation
• Westinghouse Electric (Paramount Global)

Westinghouse, for example, sold wires, cables and panels with asbestos until the 1980s. In the 1960s, General Electric produced more than 40 million pounds of phenolic resin compounds containing asbestos a year. The thermoplastic resin was used to make arc chutes and other electrical components.

Asbestos Electrical Wiring Brands

Many electrical wiring manufacturers made asbestos products under multiple brands. For example, Union Carbide purchased the Bakelite name in 1939. By 1944, more than 175,000 tons of the material were produced. Union Carbide sold the brand to Georgia-Pacific Corporation in 1992.

Well-Known Electrical Wiring Brands With Asbestos

• Bakelite: The first synthetic resin, Bakelite was used widely in home electrical systems and industrial applications for decades.
• Deltabeston: This General Electric brand sold cables and wires with asbestos.
• Ebony and Electrobestos: Johns-Manville was behind these brands of high-temperature molded electrical products.
• Micarta: This well-known Westinghouse brand made asbestos-containing wallboards for electrical insulating applications.
• Sindanyo: Asbestos-cement sheets for electrical insulation manufactured by Turner & Newall.

Other common brand names of electrical wiring products that contained asbestos include Bulldog, Murray, Trancell and Vulcabestos. European manufacturer Siemens owned the Bulldog and Murray brands.

Health Risks of Asbestos in Electrical Wiring

Electricians exposed to asbestos have developed life-threatening conditions, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Even when there are other contributing factors, such as smoking, asbestos exposure increases health risks significantly.

Diseases Associated With Asbestos Electrical Products

• Asbestosis
• Laryngeal cancer
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Ovarian cancer
• Pleural plaques, pleuritis and other benign pleural diseases

Microscopic asbestos dust is odorless and can cling to clothing. It may settle in the lungs permanently, causing damage. A 2022 health report noted that asbestos in electrical tapes and resin can also create dust.

It’s important to get medical advice from a doctor who specializes in your diagnosis. This can improve your survival chances and quality of life. Mesothelioma treatment can dramatically improve outcomes. Chemotherapy combined with other treatments can triple survival rates, and adding immunotherapy has shown 2-year survival rates of 41% compared to 27% with chemo alone. Some mesothelioma survivors have lived many years or even decades.

Who’s at Risk?

Asbestos posed a significant threat to electricians and power industry workers, especially electrical wiring insulation and asbestos-cement wallboards. Plastic resins usually kept asbestos fibers contained, but regular abrasion could create dust.

In asbestos panel factories, workers mixed raw asbestos with tar, cement and millboard. This process created high levels of toxic dust. Manufacturing phenolic resins with asbestos was similarly dangerous.

People at Risk of Asbestos Exposure

• Construction workers
• Electricians
• Energy industry technicians and operators
• Factory workers
• Maintenance workers
• Mechanics and repair technicians
• Remodeling contractors
• Shipyard laborers
• U.S. Navy veterans

Construction workers, demolition contractors and home remodelers still face asbestos exposure risks. Sawing, drilling, sanding or breaking the panels used around old wiring systems can release hazardous dust.

Simply replacing a blown fuse on an older electrical supply system can put electricians and those in other occupations in contact with crumbling asbestos materials. Do-it-yourselfers working on electrical panels in older homes also face the risk of exposure.

Compensation for Exposure to Asbestos in Electrical Panels and Wiring

Electricians have filed claims against asbestos manufacturers after developing mesothelioma. Both Westinghouse and General Electric have lost many workers’ compensation cases based on occupational asbestos exposure. Victims have received compensation through personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits as well.

• Albert Bertini worked as an electrician for the U.S. Navy during the 1960s and 1970s. He used asbestos-containing electrical parts from Gould Electronics and Nikko Materials USA Inc. Later, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. In 2017, he filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers. 
• In 2003, a San Francisco jury awarded nearly $3 million to Philip Hoeffer, a retired electrician with pleural mesothelioma. He was exposed to asbestos while working on electrical panels during his U.S. Navy service and later career. Rockwell Automation, the successor to Allen-Bradley, was the defendant. This award was just part of Hoeffer’s total compensation. Other companies settled with him privately.

In many cases, mesothelioma compensation options are available through special trust funds for asbestos-related claims. In 1988, Johns Manville set up the first asbestos injury settlement trust. Many former asbestos companies have since followed this precedent in bankruptcy law.

An experienced mesothelioma lawyer can assess your case. They will see if you can file a lawsuit or claim trust funds. Other forms of compensation include VA claims, workers’ compensation, Social Security Disability, and treatment and travel grants.

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The Challenges of Safe Asbestos Abatement in Electrical Systems

Modern asbestos abatement often requires wetting areas to stop fibers from becoming airborne. However, this isn’t safe for electrical systems. Homeowners and business owners should never attempt DIY removal of asbestos, especially where electrical components and wiring are concerned.

Licensed asbestos removal contractors must either use dry methods with special ventilation systems or ensure connections are completely turned off and disconnected from the grid. Dry asbestos removal requires approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Only licensed professionals should abate asbestos electrical panels.

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