Common Asbestos-Containing Products

What kinds of products contain asbestos?

There are over 3,000 known products that may contain asbestos. The following list identifies some of the commercially available products that may contain asbestos.

Adhesives

Appliance components

Automotive products

• Brake linings
• Brake pads
• Clutch plates

Ceilings products

• Acoustical plaster
• Ceiling panels
• Ceiling texture (Popcorn texture)
• Ceiling tiles
• Ceiling tile mastic

Cement-asbestos board (Transite) products

• Chimney flue lining
• Ducts
• Pipes
• Shingles
• Siding
• Wall panels

Chalkboards

Electrical products

• Cloth wire insulation
• Electrical breakers
• Electrical panel arc chutes
• Electrical panel partitions
• Electrical panels
• Insulating cloth

Fire protection products

• Fire blankets
• Fire curtains
• Fire doors
• Spray-on fireproofing

Heating and cooling system products

• Boiler insulation
• Boiler breeching insulation
• Cooling towers
• Duct work insulation
• Furnace insulation
• Gaskets
• Heat shields (paper and corrugated cardboard)
• HVAC vibration dampeners
• Pipe lagging insulation
• Pipe elbow insulation
• Tank insulation
• Tank casings
• Thermal taping compounds

Elevator equipment

• Elevator car brake shoes
• Elevator equipment panels

Flooring products

• Asphalt floor tiles
• Carpet mastic
• Coving mastic
• Floor tile mastic
• Vapor barriers
• Vinyl floor tiles
• Vinyl sheet flooring (linoleum)

Industrial use products

• Beverage filters
• Friction materials

Laboratory products

• Heat resistant gloves
• Laboratory hoods
• Laboratory tables and countertops

Paints and coatings

Roofing products

• Base flashing
• Felt
• Shingles
• Tar or "Black Jack"

Table pads

Wall products

• Decorative plaster
• Caulking and putties
• Spackling compounds
• Vinyl wall coverings
• Wall penetration packing materials
• Wallboard joint compound
• Wallboard or sheetrock

Window glazing

Vermiculite

• Attic insulation
• Fireplace decoration
• Gardening products
• Wall insulation

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Aren't all asbestos products banned?

No. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)has banned the use of the following products in new construction and renovation:

• Spray-applied surfacing asbestos-containing material.
• Sprayed-on application of materials containing more than 1% asbestos to buildings, structures, pipes, and conduits unless the material is encapsulated with a bituminous or resinous binder during spraying and the materials are not friable after drying.
• Wet-applied and pre-formed asbestos pipe insulation, and pre-formed asbestos block insulation on boilers and hot water tanks.
• Corrugated paper, rollboard, commercial paper, specialty paper, flooring felt, and new uses of asbestos.

How do I tell if a product contains asbestos?

Read the labeling on any product you buy or contact the manufacturer. With the advent of trade agreements, products from outside the United States that contain asbestos are now being introduced into the American consumer marketplace. Another alternative is to have a Minnesota certified asbestos inspector sample the material and have it analyzed for asbestos. You can find companies that conduct asbestos sampling on MDH's Find a Contractor or Consultant web page.

How do I find out more information?

For more information about asbestos, contact the Asbestos Program at MDH through the internet or by telephone at (651) 201-4620.

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