Asbestos Textiles:

The history, manufacturing process & uses of asbestos textiles, fabrics, and fibers used in such products as fireproof blankets, safety clothing, packings, clutch facings, brake linings, plastics, and filters. Page top photo: an asbestos textile weaving operation showing standard magazine creel and loom creel - Adapted from Rosato (1959) .

This articles series about the manufacture & use of asbestos-containing products includes detailed information on the production methods, asbestos content, and the identity and use of asbestos-containing materials.

Asbestos Textiles: Manufacture, Uses, History

These questions and answers about asbestos cloth, fabrics, or asbestos textiles used in a wide variety of forms over many years were posted originally at ASBESTOS TEXTILES - you'll enjoy reading that article.

On 2022-04-27 (mod)

Thanks for the interesting question, Pekay.

Please find our entire discussion now at

FIRE & HEAT RESISTANT FABRICS in RACE CARS

found at ASBESTOS TEXTILES [live link given above and also at the end of this page]

On 2022-04-27 reader Pekay asks:

I'm trying to find some information on this old 1960s heatproof material that was was affixed as a lining inside some luggage boxes fitted to a race car in 1966. It seems to have been called 'FIBROFAX' on some documents we found, (but could possibly be a mis-spelling of 'FIBROFIX' ?).

On 2022-02-09 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@Sarah,

Take a look at

SHEATHING, FIBERBOARD ASBESTOS CONTENT

as the same history and reasoning may apply to the fiberboard about which you are asking.

On 2022-02-09 by Sarah

Hi, Do you know of asbestos containing particle board or veneer ever being used in old cabinet backing?

I was cleaning the backside of this and a lot of brown particles were coming off on my sponge and I immediately felt the air become a little contaminated. Could be any disintegrating old material, but I wondered if you knew of asbestos ever being used for this purpose? It brought to mind the old ironing board covers made of asbestos fabric.

On 2021-12-05 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - apparel fabrics unlikely to contain asbestos

@M.Ville,

One cannot state with 100% confidence that a fabric contains no asbestos without an actual lab test, unless we know more about it, such as its age and use.

But from the apparent use (ordinary clothing, decorative, soft scarves) in my OPINON it's very unlikely that the material contained asbestos.

You can ease your mind about surrounding clothing by using ordinary cleaning methods: launder or dry-clean those of concern.

On 2021-12-05 by M.Ville

@Inspectapedia Com Moderator, I thank you so much for your response. It is very kind that you have this service for people.

The fabric is definitely not worth my peace of mind, so I immediately got rid of it, I guess I was just wondering if there would have been cross-contamination with things it was nearby and how much I needed to toss. I think I may just get it tested and if it is positive, I will be tossing the whole lot out. Thanks again for your informative website.

On 2021-12-04 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@M. Ville,

Not likely that someone made a soft decorative shawl or scarf out of asbestos but if it's going to cause you worry, like the Peterkin Family would have been advised by the wise lady from Philadelphia, throw it out.

We cite the Wise Lady from Philadelphia in more-detail at https://inspectapedia.com/insulation/Insulation-in-Buildings.php INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT

in our explanation to reader John : On 2021-11-13 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod) - insulation in & purpose of a covered cylinder in the yard

On 2021-12-04 by M.Ville

I have a bunch of old woven fabric from the 50-70s. It is clothing and heavier weight upholstery fabric. Is there a high chance of it containing asbestos. I could just throw it out but if there is a chance it is asbestos, then I should probably toss all the fabric it was folded up with.

...

On 2021-08-24 by inspectapedia.com.moderator - yellow powder in 1960s velvet tufted chairs may contain asbestos

@Maggie,

possibly, take a closer look at the seat cushion stuffing material.

On 2021-08-23 by Maggie

Hi, just moved a couple of chairs at my grandma’s house, supposedly from the 1960s, and this yellow powder flew out of the bottom and got everywhere. They are velvet tufted hairs and the seat cushions are worn.

Could yellow powder like this be asbestos from the chair cushions?

On 2020-09-20 - by (mod) -

Samantha that sure looks like cotton (to the naked eye) but of course no one can say from simply photograph.

If you have to be absolutely certain you would have to have a sample testing

On 2020-09-20 by Samantha

Hi.

I bought some second hand dining chairs I was going to reupholster.

Instated taking them apart and found this wadding material. I have no idea how old the chairs are but they have springs in them.

I am pregnant so am quite concerned. From reason other answers though, I am hoping that the chances of it being asbestos are low.

Hi. I bought some dining chairs second hand that I was going to reupholster. I just started taking them a part and found this material.

I have no idea how old they are but there are springs and what looks like coconut fiber.

I am pregnant so am quite concerned I have exposed myself to asbeatos. I was wearing a surgical mask at the time but am not sure what to do. Any help much appreciated

On 2020-03-14 - by (mod) -

Possible but not likely; where asbestos would have been used in a couch might be where fire resistance was needed.

To the naked eye that looks like cotton batting.

On 2020-03-14 by Marcy

I have a midcentury Danish couch and loveseat (Peter Hvidt) and I removed the upolstery on the loveseat. There is batting in it and I wondered if it could be asbestos.

On 2019-12-05 - by (mod) -

Metro

I can't say - we don't know the constituents of your couch, nor anything about your exposure (skin, breathing, eyes, etc) to the dust - though from your description it sounds like a disintegrating foam cushion.

Urethane or other cushion foams are not themselves an asbestos -product.

On 2019-12-05 by Metroid67

I recently removed an old couch probably 50's - 60's. I had to tear it apart to get it out of my basement. Some of the padding had became a gold dust. Anything to worry about?

On 2018-12-18 - by (mod) - concern about old upholstery fabric

Tom,

Thank you for your remarks I agree with you. We found and reported this problem also with jute bags that were used to make mailbags. Some of those have been used to transport asbestos. We really can't know what a manufacturer might do about recycling old materials.

If you have to damage the material or create dust from that such that there's a risk it would make sense to have a sample tested or two treated as presumed to contain asbestos. If you decide to proceed please do keep me posted. What you learned will be helpful to

On 2018-12-15 by Tom

Hi - what a useful site - thank you! We have an old (maybe 1930s) French armchair that is very worn, exposing the padding.

Between the coarse horsehair and outer leather is a layer of very soft wadding, which looks cotton wool made from recycled fabric. I understand from your answers to other questions that asbestos was generally only used in upholstery when it particularly needed to be fire retardant.

However, I have seen this article (https://www.kazanlaw.com/unusual-asbestos-exposures/) about an upholsterer in northern Italy using material including jute bags used to carry asbestos for such a purpose.

Also this abstract (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28686522) suggesting that upholstery was a riskier occupation that previously thought. Worth sending off a sample to a lab for peace of mind, do think? I look forward to your reply.

On 2018-02-28 by (mod) - asbestos upholstery

Asbestos was used in or as upholstery fabric in some special applications where fire resistance was needed, but not likely to have been in most ordinary fabric-covered furniture.

Examples of asbestos use in fabrics are given by more article links at the end of this page and in the ARTICLE INDEX found there.

On 2018-02-28 by Robert

Was asbestos used in upholstery fabric like to cover chairs and beds for home use? The fabric I am concerned about looks like gold and silver silk materials.

On 2017-07-04 by (mod) -

With the caveat that nobody can determine the presence or absence of asbestos in a fabric by photos alone, I think that it's unlikely that a car blanket would have been woven with asbestos, even an old one.

The material in old car blankets I've seen is usually wool or sometimes a combination of wool and felt.

Asbestos was used in textiles such as theatre curtains and in fire blankets used by fire departments.

We discuss those in the article above.

If you decide to have samples of the material tested, see ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST - https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos_Test_Lab_Lists.php

On 2017-06-25 by (mod) - asbestos in old car blanket?

You can send us some sharp photos of the blanket and any labels, and and I can comment further as well as suggesting testing approaches. Our email is at the page top or bottom CONTACT link. [Photos shown here were sent by Claire Z. by private email

On 2017-06-25 by Claire Z

I have an old inherited blanket that I now think may be a fire proof blanket made in the early 1900's.

It's an old car blanket about 6' x 4.5'. One photo is of just a small portion of the lint that came off after sewing on it. Before I washed it, it had a tacky, sticky quality to it -- perhaps some kind of resin.

I've washed and dried it in our home washer/dryer and used a sewing maching to reinforce stitching. A LOT of fabric dust and rough fiber has come off of it and I have been affected quite a bit by breathing the dust

It caused me to do this research on asbestos in textiles. What should my next step be?

All the diy home testing kits seem to be for construction materials, not textiles. I don't need rubber gloves or a mask at this point as we're already well exposed. Thanks for any recommendations.

On 2017-01-22 by Buzz

Thanks so much for your speedyreply, which goes a long way towards setting my mind at ease.

Based on what you've said, I think I will not have a sample tested. I am very glad to have found your site via a Google search. It is very professional, and an extremely valuable reference: I've bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks again!

Buzz

On 2017-01-21 by (mod) -

Buzz,

I have not come across widespread use of asbestos fabric as normal indoor curtains in residential properties, though it would be likely to be found in theaters. If you find instances of that please let us know - use the page top or bottom CONTACT link to send details.

We're happy to cite technical - content contributors if you wish.

Shown here: an asbestos fabric used in a heating furnace air duct dampener.

Details are at ASBESTOS DUCT VIBRATION DAMPENERS

On 2017-01-21 by Buzz

In the 40s through the 80s, was asbestos commonly used in heavy weight curtains intended for home use?

Working indoors, I unfortunately cut up some older woven curtains found in storage to use as pet bedding before thinking about the potential for asbestos.

I am uncertain of their age, but they are at the very last 20 years old, and could be quite a bit older. Thank you!

On 2016-12-23 by (mod) -

Some old black "tar paper" or roofing felt used as air or moisture barriers on older buildings contained asbestos, particularly in homes built before the 1980's and more likely on homes built into the 1960's.

Clear plastic under the mobile home was probably installed to try to keep out rodents or other pests. If you live in a heating climate the right place for a plastic vapor barrier is on the WARM side of the insulation - up against the under-side of the subflooring. Putting the plastic on the "wrong" side of insulation risks trapping water or moisture from above.

IMO a better design for that climate is the use of a housewrap under the belly of the mobile home. That helps keep critters out but will breathe out any moisture entering from the warm side above.

If the ground under the home is wet I'd take steps to

1. direct roof runoff away from the home

2. be sure surface grading slopes away from the home

3. then put down 6 mil poly on the ground under the home (if the home isn't already mounted over a concrete slab)

On 2016-12-23 by Kathy Arsenault

I have black insulating paper against my floorboards, then pink insulation, then clear plastic under my mobile home. It needs to be repaired in spots. That's how I found the insulating paper. Does that old stuff have asbestos?

Should I reinstated the entire under belly using plastic next to the floorboards and take out all of the paper?

On 2016-11-16 by Lucy

Bought a vintage old railwAy trunk, big brown leather one with leather handles etc. recently noticed the internal fabric is fraying and it looks like it is insulated with yellow mineral wool looking material behind material. Should I get it checked as possible asbestos or is it unlikely

On 2016-09-27 by Dori

Just bought a table that was made from a cellar door. When I flipped it over between the two layers was a gray felt looking layer. Could this be asbestos? Was it used to insulate doors?

On 2015-12-25 by Kristina

Took photos today when the back seat vinyl cover was removed to find a different white dense cotton candy like material different from the thin pressed fiber lining under the yellow foam on the front. Will send to a lab but priority is to get this vinyl upholstery from the Himelhoch out of the house

On 2015-12-23 by (mod) - Was asbestos used as a thin backing on yellow foam for chair upholstery?

Seems unlikely except for special cases such as fire resistant theatre seating.

However we have found asbestos used in a thin inner layer to improve bonding between a cover fabric and a foam padding in bicycle seats.

See BICYCLE ASBESTOS USES

On 2015-12-22 by Kristina

Was asbestos used as a thin backing on yellow foam for chair upholstery? I bought chairs from an old restaurant and found a gray fibrous backing on the backside of the foam.

On 2015-07-27 by Mod - fiberglass is distinct from asbestos

Rhea

See FIBERGLASS HAZARDS for help with your question.

Fiberglass fabrics or insulation are not asbestos and don't normally contain that material.

On 2015-07-27 by Rhea

My daughter bought an old pink flamingo couch that had been in storage for like 40 years. It makes me feel like I am breathing in fiberglass and can not even stay at her house.

She has had a sore throat since she has had it but will not believe it is the couch.

I heard a lot of material for the pink flamingo was bought on the black market. Would asbestos have been cheaper than cotton in the 1945 era? She has a 14 month old baby and I am very concerned. If you don;t know, do you know who would? Thank you

On 2015-03-26 by Mod asbestos in child car safety seats?

Shira

we have found asbestos used in a thin inner layer to improve bonding between a cover fabric and a foam padding in bicycle seats.

See BICYCLE ASBESTOS USES

On 2015-03-26 by shira

Hi,
Did the fabric cover of child car safety seats ever contain asbestos?

I got a ride this morning with a neihgbor and he had a child car seat that looked v-e-r-y old. never saw anything like it. He said he inherited it from his mother in law.

the fabric was grey and worn out. It said fisher price. Should I be worried about my daughter who sat in this chair and played with the fabric?
thanks'
Shira

On 2015-02-16 by (mod) - asbestos in dining chairs?

Sure Net

Just send a sample of each material to a certified asbestos testing lab

see

https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos_Test_Labs.htm

On 2015-02-12 by Net

i have dinning chairs from the early 1930's that I would like to have re upholstered. They have horse hair and fiber material that I thought was cotton and wool batting. One upholstery business told me the chairs may contain asbestos. Is there any way I can know for sure?

On 2014-12-24 by (mod) -

Linda

Asbestos was used in string-like gasket materials.

And asbestos might appear in various products from China, even where not expected.

You might simply dispose of the suspect twine, or have a sample tested - let us know what you find.

In the ARTICLE INDEX found among the Continue Reading links at the end of this article see ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST and send in a sample - it's not costly; let us know what you find

On 2014-12-23 by Linda

sorry....meant TWINE that looks like jute

twine from china....worried that it might contain asbestos...the kind used in crafts or for wrapping parcels

On 2014-09-07 by (mod) - asbestos in fire blankets

Anon

Fire blankets in the 1970s and earlier are likely to contain asbestos or to be made from a nearly pure asbestos fabric.

On 2014-09-03 by Anonymous

Would a fireblanket from the early 1970s definitely contain asbestos or would it potentially just be fibreglass?
Thanks
F.

On 2014-07-21 by (mod) - Yes asbestos was used to add fire resistance to mattresses.

P

I've tried to address this uncertain asbestos mattress topic in several posts. Yes asbestos was used to add fire resistance to mattresses. We don't know how widely such products were distributed. And certainly by e-texting we can't know much about your particular mattresses.

A forensic lab could examine a fabric sample if you need a certain answer. Otherwise it would be prudent in your case to treat the mattresses as PACM - presumed asbestos containing material.

This is in part an OPM problem: a consultant spends your money (Other People's Money) to reduce his or her risk, because your questions are not ones that can be answered with certainty - at least not by texting - and you express a degree of concern.

On 2014-07-21 by p

I have no idea how old the mattresses are. They seem to have been there forever. So even during the asbestos era it would be unlikely to find asbestos in the mattress? It wasnt commonly added for flame retardancy?

On 2014-07-18 by (mod) -

P
I recall the post now among our FAQs. A look at our list of asbestos uses confirmed some mattress applications. Production most likely before about 1977. I add that ordinary consumer mattresses you'd currently find in a home are unlikely to have used asbestos and that it would be odd to find even a mattress from the asbestos era, the hazard turns on the condition, use, and location of the material.

On 2014-07-18 0 by P

This site is very informative. Thank you for providing this resource. I saw a posting here before inquiring about asbestos in old mattresses. I cannot find it now and would also like information on this as we have old beds at the cottage. Is this a real concern? If so, when would these beds have been p roduced? Thank you for your help.

...

Continue reading  at ASBESTOS TEXTILES or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ASBESTOS CLOTH
• ASBESTOS DUCT VIBRATION DAMPENERS
• ASBESTOS ELECTRICAL WIRE INSULATION
• ASPHALT-ASBESTOS FELT FLOORING
• ASBESTOS MAIL BAGS
• ASBESTOS MACHINE GUN MITTENS
• ASBESTOS in MATTRESSES
• ASBESTOS PACKINGS & GASKETS
• ASBESTOS PILLOWCASES
• ASBESTOS TEXTILES
• BICYCLE ASBESTOS USES
• DOES THIS MATERIAL CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if a BUILDING MATERIAL probably contains asbestos -
• HAZARD vs RISK - what's the difference, why you should care

Suggested citation for this web page

ASBESTOS TEXTILE FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to ASBESTOS HAZARDS

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