Asbestos in Moldable Plastic Products

How Were Asbestos Plastic Products Used?

Many types of fillers serve these basic purposes, but asbestos fibers brought additional benefits, making the plastic resistant to moisture, heat, acid and electricity. Asbestos was a natural choice in plastics for high-temperature and electrical applications. Because the naturally occurring mineral was cheap and easy to work with, manufacturers often used asbestos plastics by default for many other types of products as well.

While Bakelite contained asbestos from at least 1909 to 1974, most American manufacturers phased out asbestos around the mid-1980s. Asbestos plastic products remain in production internationally. In 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed a temporary ban on the importation of one type of asbestos plastic, known as reinforced plastic, while it reviews potential new uses of the mineral. Asbestos sheet gaskets, which may be made from plastic, remain legal to manufacture and import into the U.S.

Types of Asbestos Moldable Plastic Products

Automobile Parts

Like manufacturers of consumer goods, carmakers used asbestos plastic for all types of automobile parts, including arc chutes, steering wheels and brake pads.

Aircraft and Weapon Systems

The aerospace industry took advantage of the lightweight and insulating properties of asbestos plastic by using it for high-tech items such as rocket nose cones, aircraft drop tanks and missile casings.

Companies Connected to Asbestos Plastics

Manufacturers that made asbestos plastics include:

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Diseases Asbestos Moldable Plastic Products Can Cause

Up until the 1980s, chemical plant workers preparing asbestos plastic molding compounds were often surrounded by high concentrations of toxic asbestos dust, especially when their work involved pouring raw asbestos fibers and cutting and transporting asbestos-containing materials. Workers who regularly breathe in asbestos dust have the highest risk of developing asbestos-related diseases later in life.

Exposure to asbestos in plastic products is known to cause:

Molded asbestos plastic products are generally less dangerous than other types of asbestos-containing materials because they are less friable, which means less easily crushed by hand. Plastic fixes asbestos fibers in place, but these products release asbestos when damaged. Electricians, construction workers, auto mechanics and homeowners can suffer asbestos exposure when old electrical components are drilled, sawed or broken. This type of damage exposes asbestos fibers within the plastic, allowing them to become airborne.

If you worked with asbestos plastics and develop an asbestos-related disease, it is important to seek medical care from a doctor specializing in your specific diagnosis. Working with a specialist may lead to improved survival by giving you access to the latest treatments and clinical trials.

Compensation for Exposure to Asbestos in Plastics

Many manufacturers of asbestos plastics knew their products were dangerous and chose to use asbestos regardless of the health effects. Decades of lawsuits revealed internal documents from some of these companies, including W.R. Grace, proving they were aware that asbestos causes lung disease and cancer. 

Workers who developed asbestos-related diseases after using asbestos plastics have filed personal injury lawsuits against the manufacturers of these products, and those who lost a loved one have filed wrongful death lawsuits.

A mesothelioma attorney can review your case to advise whether you qualify to file a lawsuit and multiple asbestos trust fund claims. Other forms of compensation include VA claims, Social Security Disability and treatment and travel grants.

Abatement and History of Asbestos Moldable Plastics

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration classifies abatement of asbestos plastic products as a class II operation, which requires workers to be trained and certified in asbestos abatement. It also requires the use of negative pressure enclosures to prevent contamination, and other safety measures, including personal protective equipment to prevent asbestos exposure.  

Homeowners and do-it-yourselfers could face big fines for carrying out abatement of asbestos plastic products. Make sure to hire a licensed asbestos abatement company for this kind of work.

In the 1970s and 1980s, legislation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and restrictions in the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Clean Air Act finally began to limit the use of asbestos in the U.S. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attempted to enact a ban on all asbestos products, but it was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1991. 

Fearing legal repercussions, many companies began to phase out asbestos in the 1980s. Plastic manufacturers adopted a variety of substitute fillers, including calcium carbonate, talc, clay, mica, glass and silica. Unfortunately, using talc as a filler presents the risk of asbestos contamination. These minerals form next to each other, and industrial uses of talc run the highest risk for contamination because of the way industrial talc is classified and processed. 

Many companies used asbestos to reinforce plastic products that included PVC (polyvinyl chloride polymer), phenolics, polypropylene and nylon. The production of these plastics often required factory workers to pour raw asbestos fibers into mixing tanks and molds, creating occupational asbestos exposure risks. 

In 1907, a chemist named Dr. Leo Baekeland created the first synthetic thermosetting plastic, which he named Bakelite. When combined with wood and asbestos fibers for filler, Bakelite proved to be an all-around durable substance that manufacturers could mold into any shape necessary. Baekeland marketed it as “the material of a thousand uses,” and the rapid growth of the plastics industry throughout the 20th century backed up his claim.