Asbestos found many uses around the home, from insulation purposes in attics and around pipes to sound dampening and cosmetic roles within the rooms of homes and offices. One area that frequently saw the use of asbestos was the ceilings of homes, schools and industrial facilities. The material’s inexpensive quality and strengthening ability made it effective as a tile component or as an additive in ceiling texture products. Below is a list of ceiling products asbestos commonly found use in.

Asbestos Acoustical Plaster

This product, chosen principally for its sound insulation ability and appearance, was a popular option for homes, schools, theaters and commercial properties from the 1950s until the 1970s. Because of its ability to dampen ambient noises and echoing, it was especially popular in apartment buildings. However, it also found popularity in office buildings, where it both diminished noise and added an aesthetically pleasing look.

One particular brand of acoustical plaster that found popularity in the United States was Audicote, a cement-like acoustical plaster manufactured by U.S. Gypsum from 1955 until 1972. This product was even at the center of a trial decided in 1991, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System v. United States Gypsum Co. This trial addressed the product’s use in that particular school district and its risk to those inside because of the material’s tendency to shed deadly asbestos fibers into the air as it ages.   

Asbestos Ceiling Texture

Aside from providing an interesting, decorative appearance which was known as “popcorn ceilings,” asbestos ceiling texture also provided an insulating, noise-dampening, fireproof boundary. Popular in American homes from the 1950s into the 1980s, this product’s success could be attributed to its inexpensiveness, easy spray application and ability to mask ceiling blemishes. These blemishes might include stains, unevenness or poor quality work. Installed in varying degrees of smoothness, its most textured look was applied in bedrooms and home hallways where noise reduction was most essential. The smoother appearance, which allowed for easier cleaning, was generally used in kitchens and living rooms.

Because of the added fragility of highly textured ceilings, asbestos was a common component of these areas. The mineral’s natural tensile strength and rigidity added the stiffness this highly-textured surface needed. However, the Environmental Protection Agency’s 1977 ban of such products contributed to its falling popularity at that time. In addition, the material becomes dirty easily, is difficult to repair and is easily damaged. Despite the addition of asbestos, its fragility allows these fibers, which are not well-secured in the textured ceiling product, to easily escape.

Asbestos Ceiling Tiles

Asbestos ceiling tiles saw widespread use for much of the second half of the twentieth century due to their ability to insulate homes, schools, offices and other public facilities. These tiles, generally suspended by a metal frame, provide insulation as well as noise dampening in these structures. In addition, their common use in drop, or suspended, ceilings created an open space where the building’s HVAC system could sit and be easily accessed.

However, beginning in the 1970s, asbestos ceiling tiles were phased out as the risks of released fibers became known. Especially for those who manufactured, installed or repaired these tiles, the risks of contact with this material were great. Any kind of handling of these products, especially cutting or shaping, put these individuals at risk. However, even those who simply inhabited the same space were at risk for asbestos exposure, as these tiles naturally gave off these friable fibers, where they could suspend in the air.

Asbestos Ceiling Tile Mastic

Ceiling tile mastics were paste-like adhesives, joint-fillers and sealants that were used under the tiles in homes or commercial buildings into the 1980s. Asbestos was used in ceiling tile mastics to add strength, durability and heat resistance until its eventual ban. In addition to ceiling tiles, asbestos-containing mastic was used under floor tiles, roofing, walls and windows. This product presents an environmental threat when disturbed by renovation, demolition or repair, which allows the asbestos fibers to become released into the air.

Asbestos Ceiling Product Risks

All of these ceiling products present a large asbestos exposure threat due to their past popularity in the home and numerous work places. These sources of asbestos presented such a high risk due to their fragility and location in facilities. Unfortunately, most of these asbestos-containing ceiling products were not durable and did not encapsulate their asbestos fiber additives well, allowing for the easy release of such particles when disturbed.

Furthermore, these products lay throughout the inhabitable spaces of homes and offices, not inside walls, under floors or in attics. When disturbed, these tiny particles simply have to drop from the ceiling to become suspended in the air and pose a respiratory risk. When inhaled, and ingested, these small asbestos particles can become embedded in the protective tissue surrounding organs, eventually leading to a cancer know as mesothelioma. In addition, these particles can lead to the development of lung cancer or asbestosis, which is a breathing disorder caused by lung scarring.     

Because of the past popularity of such products, these sources of ceiling asbestos continue to pose a threat today, especially in homes and offices built before the 1980s, when asbestos remained an unregulated material. Individuals that suspect such products still sit in their homes and offices should not attempt to remove them alone. Without the specialized equipment and training on proper asbestos abatement, disturbing these products may actually increase the risks. Those most at risk are individuals who manufactured such products, worked with them professionally or worked in an office or other location that held them.