Overview
Floor covering workers, installers of vinyl flooring, carpet, and other floor materials, faced significant asbestos exposure from vinyl asbestos tiles, sheet goods with asbestos backing, and asbestos-containing adhesives. Both installation and removal of flooring created hazardous asbestos exposure.
Asbestos in Flooring Materials
| Product | Asbestos Content | Exposure Level |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl asbestos tile (VAT) | 10-25% | High |
| Mastic adhesive | 5-15% | Very High |
| Cutback adhesive | 5-15% | Very High |
| Sheet vinyl backing | Variable | Moderate |
| Carpet underlayment | Variable | Moderate |
How Floor Covering Workers Were Exposed
New Installation
Installing new flooring created moderate exposure:
- Cutting vinyl asbestos tiles to fit
- Spreading adhesive with trowels
- Installing sheet goods with asbestos backing
- Working over existing asbestos flooring
Removal Work
Flooring removal created the highest exposure:
- Breaking apart old vinyl asbestos tiles
- Scraping adhesive from concrete subfloors
- Sanding adhesive residue
- Removing deteriorated sheet flooring
The black mastic adhesive used under vinyl flooring often contained more asbestos than the tiles. Removing or sanding this adhesive releases concentrated asbestos fibers.
Types of Flooring Work
Floor covering workers installed resilient flooring such as vinyl tiles and sheet goods; carpet, often laid directly over existing asbestos flooring; wood flooring over asbestos underlayment; and specialty commercial and industrial floors. Between 1950 and 1980, Armstrong, Kentile, and Congoleum dominated the vinyl asbestos tile market, and their products still sit under later renovations in millions of schools and offices.
Work Environments
Floor covering workers moved between residential homes and apartments, commercial office buildings and retail, institutional schools and hospitals, and industrial factories and warehouses. The heaviest exposures came from institutional renovation in states like New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, where aging schools built between 1950 and 1975 were repeatedly re-covered on top of intact vinyl asbestos tile.
Related Occupations
Floor covering workers worked alongside:
- Tile setters, Floor tile installation
- Carpenters, Building construction
- Laborers, Debris removal
- Demolition workers, Renovation
Related Industry
Current Risk
Floor covering workers today still face asbestos exposure when removing flooring in pre-1980 buildings. Proper testing and abatement procedures are essential.
Health Consequences
Floor covering workers face elevated risk of mesothelioma, a cancer of the chest or abdominal lining; asbestosis, a progressive scarring of the lungs; lung cancer, with risk multiplied among smokers; and pleural disease that thickens the lining around the lungs.
Legal Options
Floor covering workers diagnosed with mesothelioma typically pursue several tracks in parallel. Flooring and adhesive manufacturers including Kentile, Armstrong, and Bestwall Gypsum established asbestos trust funds through bankruptcy reorganization, and claims against these trusts often run alongside product-liability suits against solvent manufacturers, premises-liability claims against building owners, and workers’ compensation through a former employer.