Where You Can Be Exposed to Asbestos

Asbestos use was widespread during the last century because of its flame-retardant and insulating properties, tensile strength, and its resistance to heat, electrical, and chemical damage. In the 1970s, United States regulations began limiting ways asbestos could be used.  But it is still present in millions of buildings and products. And some asbestos products are still manufactured and sold.

Asbestos in the workplace and schools

About 70 to 80 percent of mesothelioma cases are directly linked to occupations in which workers were continually exposed to asbestos. Asbestos was integrated in many industrial and domestic products—from naval vessels to building materials and brake linings. So there are many sites where asbestos exposure in the workplace is a serious and almost unavoidable hazard.  Besides manufacturers of asbestos-containing materials such as insulation, roofing, and various building materials, here are other workplaces that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) cites:

Auto repair shops Chemical plants Construction sites Sand or abrasives manufacturers Shipyards and shipbuilders Ships an maritime facilities

Demolition sites Foundries Machine shops Mining operations Off-shore rust removals Oil refineries

Auto plants Heating plants Paper mills Steel mills Power plants Railroad facilities

The CDC also notes that people in the following occupations are often exposed to asbestos:

Asbestos removal workers Vermiculite ore processors Demolition workers Asbestos product factory workers Auto mechanics Boilermakers Bricklayers Building inspectors Carpenters Drywallers

Electricians Floor covering workers Furnace workers Glazers Grinders Hod carriers Insulators Iron workers Laborers

Longshoremen Maintenance workers Merchant marines Millwrights Operating engineers Painters Plasterers Plumbers Roofers

People who have worked in these work environments and occupations should consult a physician with expertise in the evaluating and managing asbestos-related lung disease.

Household asbestos

The same is true in your home, especially if it was built more than 30 or 40 years ago. Household building materials that may contain asbestos include:

• Roofing and siding shingles made of asbestos cement
• Asbestos insulation
• Textured paint
• Wall and ceiling patching compounds
• Artificial ashes and embers used in gas-fired fireplaces
• Stove-top pads
• Floor tiles, sheeting, and adhesives
• Asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets protecting walls and floors around wood-burning stoves
• Hot water and steam pipes coated with asbestos or covered with an asbestos blanket or tape
• Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets

Keep in mind that asbestos exposure at home can occur. Home repair and remodeling activities carry significant risk if they involve disturbing asbestos-containing building materials.