General

Asbestos has been used commercially in this country since about 1880.  A naturally occurring mineral, it became a popular product because it is non-combustible and resistant to corrosion, and has a high tensile strength and low electrical conductivity.  These qualities, combined with its relatively low cost, have resulted in the production of an estimated 3,600 different products containing asbestos.  Also, there were several major and many minor manufacturers of asbestos products in the United States, resulting in a number of  product variations.

 In Nashua, New Hampshire the Johns-Manville Company, which owned a large manufacturing plant, used asbestos fiber and Portland Cement to produce a variety of asbestos cement products for construction and industrial uses, primarily as durable, indestructible insulation.  By 1986, asbestos was eliminated as a raw material for manufacturing purposes due to the disease-causing potential of airborne asbestos fibers.  On July 12, 1989, the ISOPIA issued a final rule under Section 6 of the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) to prohibit, at staged intervals, the future manufacture, importation, processing, and distribution in commence in the U.S. of most asbestos containing products.  This rule was challenged in court by the asbestos manufacturers and on November 5, 1993, the United States (Environmental Protection Agency) confirmed that as a result of the court proceedings, the references to phase and ban of asbestos products in Section 6 of the 1989 TSCA were overturned.  Asbestos products including asbestos pipeline wrap, vinyl/asbestos tile, asbestos mill board, asbestos clothing, corrugated and flat asbestos cement sheeting, asbestos roof felt, and asbestos cement shingles can continue to be manufactured in the United States.  Therefore, asbestos is, and will continue to be, a component of various industrial waste streams and a contaminant of industrial areas and industrial waste sites.

Types of Asbestos Products

Knowledge of the types of products manufactured by the Johns-Manville Company at the Nashua plant may be useful in identifying specific local waste material.  The following is a list of some of those products and a brief description of each:

Flat Transite: An incombustible asbestos cement board product used in both interior and exterior construction. Sheets can be readily cut, drilled, countersunk and beveled.  This material will degrade over a period of time (30-40 years) allowing the breakdown of binder materials which allow fibers to escape.

Transite Pallets: Used for storing or moving relatively lightweight materials.

Transite Core Plate: A smoothly sanded tray made of asbestos and cement, frequently used for holding foundry cores during the baking or drying process.

Colorlith: (Charcoal Gray - Cameo Brown - Surf Green) - A table top material with superior chemical resistance and durability.  The sheet is polished to a deep luster and is intended for use without heavy protective coatings.  It was used for making high-quality indoor and outdoor furniture.

Colorlith:  (Cyprus Green) - An asbestos cement sheet made for facing hoods and ducts used for venting.  This deep toned material gives excellent color contrast when used with Surf Green or Charcoal Gray Colorlith, and was used as a veneered table top surface.

Colorlith: (Surf Green) - Used in laboratory table top materials.  Stronger than stone, this material has "built-in" heat and chemical resistance.

Chalkboard Colorlith: (Spruce Green) - Used in chalkboard applications, the material has a tough monolithic construction.

Colored Marine Veneer:  Often used as a bulkhead panel, the material is integrally colored with no single surface to wear out.

Colorchip: (Carnival or Snowflake) - Made of asbestos and cement, the material is stronger and more durable than slate or marble, and was frequently used as table top material.

Asbestos Ebony: An excellent insulating material used in switchboards, panel boards, switch and fuse bases, insulating barriers, duct linings, etc.

Asbestocite A: A dense, strong, asbestos cement sheet manufactured for use as an incombustible, protective casing or "finish" on outdoor and indoor insulated stacks, tanks, vessels, breechings, equipment, etc.

Asbestocite B: A dense, extra strong, asbestos cement sheet manufactured for use as an incombustible, protective casing or "finish" on outdoor and indoor insulated stacks, tanks, vessels, breechings, equipment, etc.

Asbestocite S: A dense, strong asbestos cement sheet manufactured used as a facing material in fume hoods and ducts which vent non-corrosive gases.  It is formed void of screen marks by a special repressing process that affords two relatively smooth surfaces, thereby eliminating the need for costly sanding and polishing operations.

Ohmstone: An electrical insulation of unusual arc-resistance and good electrical properties manufactured for use in unusually dusty areas.

One-eighth Inch (1/8") Standard Asbestos Flexboard: An asbestos cement product that is fireproof, rot proof, flexible, strong and used in a variety of applications.

Electrobestos: A sheet material manufactured for use as an arc and flame barrier and heat resistance up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Perforated Marine Veneer: A hard, incombustible sheet of asbestos fiber and cement perforated to permit the passage of sound into sound-absorbent insulating material.  Perforated Marine Veneer has a light gray appearance and is suitable for painting.

Marine Acoustical Unit:  A composite, rigid acoustical unit consisting of a 1" thick, sound-absorbing mineral fiber element, grommeted to 3/16" thick Perforated Marine Veneer.  It has not only high sound-absorption qualities, but also the fire and moisture-resistance so essential for marine service.

Chemstone: An asbestos cement sheet specially formulated to afford a table top with good chemical resistant properties.  It was manufactured with a rough drum sanded finish or belt sanded to a polished finish.

Marine Veneer:  A strong, dense, flexible material manufactured in thin sheets composed of asbestos fiber and cement.  Used as a hard, incombustible facing for sheathing of curved areas and as a ceiling material, it has a light gray mottled appearance.

Materials That May Contain Asbestos

Following is a listing of suspect asbestos-containing materials.  It does not include every product/material that may contain asbestos, but is intended as a general guide to show various types of materials that may contain asbestos.  The amount of asbestos in these products varies widely (from approximately 1 percent to nearly 100 percent) and cannot always be accurately determined from labels or by asking the manufacturer.  Positive identification of asbestos cannot be ascertained merely by visual examination.  The services of a qualified laboratory must be used to analyze representative  samples of suspect materials to confirm asbestos content.

. Cement Pipes                          . Elevator Brake Shoes
. Cement Wallboard                      . HVAC Duct Insulation
. Cement Siding                         . Boiler Insulation
. Asphalt Floor Tile                    . Breeching Insulation
. Vinyl Floor Tile                      . Ductwork Flexible Fabric
. Vinyl Sheet Flooring                    Connections
. Flooring Backing                      . Cooling Towers
. Construction Mastics (floor tile,     . Pipe Insulation (corrugated
  carpet, ceiling tile, etc.)             air cell, block, etc.)
. Acoustical Plaster                    . Heating and Electrical Ducts
. Decorative Plaster                    . Electrical Panel Partitions
. Textured Paints/Coatings              . Electrical Cloth
. Ceiling Tiles and Lay-in Panels       . Electrical Wiring Insulation
. Spray-Applied Insulation              . Chalkboards
. Blow-in Insulation                    . Roofing Shingles
. Fireproofing materials                . Roofing Felt
. Taping Compounds (thermal)            . Base Flashing
. Packing Materials (for wall/floor     . Thermal Paper Products
  penetrations)                         . Fire Doors
. High Temperature Gaskets              . Caulking/Putties
. Laboratory Hoods/Table Tops           . Adhesives
. Laboratory Gloves                     . Wallboard
. Fire Blankets                         . Joint Compounds
. Fire Curtains                         . Vinyl Wall Coverings
. Elevator Equipment Panels             . Spackling Compounds

For additional information on asbestos-containing materials and products, contact: