Written by Daniel King | Edited By Fran Mannino | Last Update: September 4, 2024

Asbestos Use in Automobiles

Asbestos has been used in a wide variety of auto parts. Examples include brakes, clutches, hood liners, gaskets and heat shields.

Historically, drum and disc brakes were manufactured with 35% to 60% asbestos. While most car manufacturers stopped making asbestos-containing brake pads in the 1990s, it remains legal in the U.S. to sell aftermarket asbestos-containing auto parts, and many brake and clutch parts, especially in older vehicles, continue to contain up to 35% asbestos.

82%

The percent of auto mechanics who are frequently exposed to asbestos.

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology

A 2018 study estimates 730,000 documented workers in the U.S. are at risk of asbestos exposure from brake repairs alone. It also estimated millions of do-it-yourself mechanics are also at risk of asbestos exposure.

Hobbyists working on older cars are especially at risk because older cars are more likely to contain asbestos parts than newer cars. Both professionals and do-it-yourselfers are at an increased risk of developing mesothelioma.

Asbestos Car Parts

A wide variety of asbestos-containing products have been used in automotive transportation. Contaminated parts have been used on every type of vehicle. This includes cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, trains and military vehicles. Asbestos brakes and clutches, which have been a primary source of exposure, were also used in elevators and other types of transportation machinery.

  • Adhesive: Asbestos cement was often mixed with other materials to make a body panel adhesive.
  • Air Conditioning Housing: The housing around automobile air conditioning units contained as much as 55% asbestos.
  • Body Putty: Asbestos was used in auto body filler compound.
  • Brakes: Both the housing and linings of brakes, collectively called brake shoes, have contained asbestos.
  • Clutches: Clutch linings continue to be made with asbestos to control heat produced by friction.
  • Decal Stripes: Decorative decal stripes have been known to contain asbestos.
  • Electrical Insulation: Asbestos-containing insulation, sometimes called wire loom, was used around electrical parts to prevent overheating.
  • Gaskets, Packing, Valves and Heat Seals: Asbestos gaskets, packing, ring valves and heat seals have been used throughout vehicles to regulate temperature.
  • Heat Shields: Asbestos-containing heat shields were used around mufflers to prevent fire.
  • Insulation: Various types of asbestos insulation were used in cars, including floor and firewall insulation. Asbestos insulation on trains was found around boilers and pipes.
  • Mufflers and Muffler Repair Compound: Mufflers and the compound used to repair them contained asbestos.
  • Sheets and Hood Liner Sheets: Asbestos sheets were applied around engines and as hood liners to control temperature.
  • Soundproofing: Asbestos soundproofing material was used inside body panels to reduce noise inside the vehicle.
  • Spark Plugs: Some spark plugs contained asbestos in the past.
  • Undercoating: The undercoating of automobile paint often contained asbestos fibers as a filler and strengthener.
  • Woven Asbestos Backing: Some vehicles contained a woven asbestos backing underneath the floor carpeting.

In addition to insulation, asbestos gaskets were widely used in automobiles. Different types of gaskets used in vehicles include rope and sheet gaskets. They were used on cylinder heads, oil pans, manifolds and pumps. Two name-brand asbestos gaskets used in engines include Felbestos and Shimbestos.

Patient Advocate Danielle DiPietro

It’s very common for mesothelioma patients to have at least some exposure that falls in the category of auto mechanic. This isn’t always the patient’s main occupation. I have found a lot of patients did some of their own auto work, especially the changing of brake pads.

Danielle DiPietrov, Patient Advocate at The Mesothelioma Center

Occupations at Risk of Asbestos in Cars

Workers were exposed in auto assembly plants, repair shops and supply stores. Trains, bus stations, truck stops and auto part manufacturing plants exposed workers. Even toll road collectors are at an increased risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. That’s because of repeated exposure to asbestos brake dust.

Automotive Occupations at Risk of Asbestos Exposure

Do-it-yourselfers who enjoy working on cars are at high risk of asbestos exposure. They often don’t have proper protective equipment and may be unaware of protocols to reduce exposure.

Automotive Workers and Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma has been documented in auto mechanics, their wives and children. Individual case reports have described cases of mesothelioma among auto mechanics. Secondary asbestos exposure happens when workers bring fibers home. This type of exposure can cause mesothelioma in spouses and children.

I first came in contact with asbestos through the brakes of cars. I also used to be a mechanic for our household, so I would disassemble cars and came into contact with asbestos.

Epifanio Figueroa, peritoneal mesothelioma survivor
Epifanio Figueroa, mesothelioma survivor

Population studies have examined the risk of pleural mesothelioma among professional auto mechanics. A 2018 study found an increased incidence of mesothelioma in auto mechanics, citing more than 400 cases in the medical literature.

A 2001 study reported a 10-fold excess of mesothelioma cases among auto mechanics. In 1985, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exposure study confirmed brake and clutch repair work resulted in asbestos exposure levels far exceeding the ambient air levels the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have set.

Preventing Exposure from Automobiles

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued best practices for brake and clutch repair workers that complement Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws. The EPA’s recommendations aim to help both professional and at-home mechanics limit asbestos exposure, while OSHA’s laws only apply to professional workers.

Best Practices for Auto Mechanics

  • Don’t Blow Dust: Don’t use compressed air to clean brakes and clutches. Don’t use a dry rag, brush (wet or dry) or a garden hose.
  • Use an Enclosed System: Don’t use a traditional wet/dry vacuum. You must use a wet/dry vacuum equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air filter, more commonly known as a HEPA filter.
  • Use the Low-Pressure Wet Method: If you don’t have the equipment for an enclosed system, use the low-pressure wet method.
  • Use the Wet Wipe Method: Auto workers employed in a shop that performs no more than 5 brake or clutch jobs per week are allowed to use the wet wipe method.

The EPA strongly recommends professionals handle all brake and clutch repair work. Professional auto mechanics are legally required to follow OSHA’s asbestos safety measures.

Recommendations for Home Mechanics

Do-it-yourself mechanics are not legally required to follow the EPA’s safety recommendations at home. The EPA strongly encourages those who insist on doing this work themselves take additional safety measures.

EPA Recommendations for Home Mechanics

  • Don’t Expose Your Family: Make sure to not track any asbestos dust into your home on your shoes, work clothes, skin and hair. This involves creating a decontamination unit outside your home to use after your work is done. It’s best to dispose of contaminated clothes with the rest of the job’s asbestos-contaminated waste at a government-designated landfill.
  • Get the Right Parts: Make sure to buy pre-ground, ready-to-install parts. Grinding down asbestos-containing parts makes them friable and extremely dangerous.
  • Use the Right Tools: Use machinery equipped with a HEPA filter and an exhaust dust collection system.
  • Minimize Exposure: Don’t let anyone else into the work area. Don’t allow food or drinks into the work area, which could lead to ingestion of asbestos fibers.
  • Dispose of Waste Properly: All asbestos waste, including old auto parts and rags used during the job, must be wetted before being double bagged in 6-millimeter plastic bags. The bags must be enclosed in a plastic, leak-tight container with a lid and properly labeled as asbestos waste. This waste must be disposed of at special landfills designated to receive asbestos waste.

The extensive safety measures involved in DIY automotive work makes it costly. Proper disposal is also important to prevent exposure among those who work in landfills.

Epifanio Figueroa
Verified Asbestos.com Survivor

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survivor Exposed to Asbestos as Home Mechanic

Peritoneal mesothelioma survivor Epifanio Figueroa tells The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com that he came into contact with asbestos through both primary and secondary exposure. He says his father’s occupational asbestos exposure and then his own occupational exposures as a home mechanic put him at risk.

Epifanio Figueroa
Verified Asbestos.com Survivor
Read Epifanio’s Story

Companies Connected to Automobile Asbestos Exposure

Companies manufactured asbestos products for automotive transportation since the early 1900s. Some companies made parts such as brake linings, insulation and gaskets with asbestos until the late 1980s.

Manufacturers of Asbestos Auto Parts

  • Abex Corporation made brake linings, gaskets and packing for cars and trains from 1926 to 1987.
  • Anchor Packing Company made brake linings from 1908 to 1984.
  • Bendix Corporation made brake linings from 1939 to 1988.
  • Borg-Warner Corporation made brake and clutch linings from 1928 through the 1980s.
  • Chrysler Corporation made brake and clutch linings from 1925 through the 1970s. Assembly plant workers were also exposed while installing these products on the assembly line.
  • CSX Transportation used asbestos products, including brakes and insulation, on trains.
  • Dana Corporation made brake linings, gaskets and valve covers from 1945 to 1969.
  • Fel-Pro made asbestos gaskets under the brand names Felbestos and Shimbestos. Federal-Mogul acquired Fel-Pro in 1998, but had to file for bankruptcy by 2001 under the weight of 33,625 asbestos lawsuits related to Fel-Pro’s asbestos gaskets.
  • Ford Motor Company made brake and clutch linings from 1909 through the 1980s. Workers in assembly plants were also exposed to these products.
  • General Motors Corporation made brake and clutch linings, disc brakes, drum brakes and locomotive brake shoes from 1920 to 1985.
  • Griscom-Russell Company, now known as Viad Corporation, made asbestos-containing engine valves for locomotives.
  • John Crane made gaskets and packing, including hydraulic, ring and rope packing.
  • Railroad Friction Products Corporation made brakes for trains.
  • Raybestos-Manhattan made brake linings and gaskets for cars, trucks and trains.
  • Uniroyal made brakes, disc brakes, packing, gaskets and asbestos cloth used in automobiles.
  • Wagner Electric Corporation made brake and clutch linings.

Some imported auto parts currently contain asbestos. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries of January 2024 noted, “the exhaust system of a specific type of utility vehicle” and “some vehicle friction products” imported into the U.S. as of 2020 were known to contain asbestos.

Asbestos Regulations for the Automotive Industry

OSHA has set safety regulations for professional auto workers. This includes automotive brake and clutch inspection, disassembly, repair and assembly operations. These safety measures describe regulations of work practices to follow. Educating workers on asbestos risks and personal hygiene protocols.

OSHA-Approved Cleaning Methods

  • Negative-Pressure Enclosure/HEPA Vacuum System Method: The best method involves the use of a negative-pressure enclosed HEPA vacuum system, which uses a special box with clear plastic walls around the brake or clutch to contain asbestos fibers.
  • Low Pressure/Wet Cleaning Method: The next-best method involves specially designed low-pressure spray equipment to wet brakes and clutches. The runoff is then collected in a special basin to reduce asbestos dust from circulating in the work area.
  • Wet Wipe Method: This method involves using a spray bottle to deliver a fine mist of water at low pressure to wet brakes and clutches, which can then be wiped clean with a cloth.

Automotive workers in states without administration-approved state plans must follow the regulations set forth in the EPA’s Asbestos Worker Protection Rule. In order for states to obtain approval for their own plans, they must apply for an exemption and, according to the EPA, “…send to the Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics a copy of its asbestos worker protection regulations and a detailed explanation of how your state’s asbestos worker protection plan meets the requirements of
TSCA section 18 (15 U.S.C. 2617).”

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