Asbestos Insulation

Asbestos Insulation was the biggest source of asbestos exposure for workers throughout the 1900s. It was used in homes, buildings, ships, cars and manufacturing facilities, just to name a few. If insulation was needed, asbestos was used. For much of the 20th century, insulators were referred to as “asbestos workers” because they handled the material so frequently.Asbestos insulation was the biggest source of asbestos exposure for workers throughout the 1900s. It was used in homes, buildings, ships, cars and manufacturing facilities, just to name a few. If insulation was needed, asbestos was used. For much of the 20th century, insulators were referred to as “asbestos workers” because they handled the material so frequently.

Insulation helps conserve energy, lower sound volume, reduce electrical conductivity, and retain hot and cold temperatures. Asbestos, a fire-resistant mineral that was cheap, durable and a poor conductor of electricity, naturally became a key ingredient of these products.

Some of the first uses of asbestos insulation occurred in the latter half of the 1800s where hot-temperature pipes were a concern. Heat insulation containing asbestos was used for the first time in 1866. A few years later in 1870, the mineral was mixed with cement for boiler coverings. By 1874, asbestos insulation products reached commercial production and were sold on a mass scale.

Bans on this type of insulation didn’t occur until the 1970s. In 1991, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lifted the ban and made it possible for companies to produce these products as long as they contained less than 1 percent asbestos.

One of the biggest manufacturers of these insulation products was Johns Manville. It was also one of the first companies to publicly advertise that asbestos was a beneficial addition to their products during the early 1900s. From the early 1900s to the 1970s, Johns Manville made significant use of the mineral in a variety of its products.