Was asbestos used in some lamps and light bulbs?

This article describes the uses of asbestos in lamps, bulbs, and light fixtures, and discusses the likely level of hazard from those items.

This article series assists building buyers, owners or inspectors who need to identify asbestos materials (or probable-asbestos) in buildings by simple visual inspection. We provide photographs and descriptive text of asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing products to permit identification of definite, probable, or possible asbestos materials in buildings.

Asbestos used in light bulbs?

Cam said:

Currently there are a couple articles on the internet indicates that light bulbs of the typical consumer type can contain asbestos. One has to do with Westinghouse asbestos litigation, the other is mesotheliomia info site.

I am wondering where in the light bulb asbestos would be. I can only imagine it might be in the material that binds the glass globe to the socket or possibly in the plastic or bitumin insulating material at the base. Can you clarify and is there any easy way to identify?
thanks, Cam - 2016/02/29

Reply: asbestos was used in some light bulbs & fixtures as an insulator, in special-purpose lamps & bulbs, & in fragrance dispensers

Thanks for the interesting question Cam.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Above: Patent detail from Andre, 1956, showing use of asbestos as part of a fragrance dispensing system in a light bulb or lamp system. In this application asbestos-based blotting paper may have been used on the exterior of an ordinary light bulb. Most asbestos uses were inside of the lamp or bulb.

Indeed asbestos was used in some light bulbs, including some more-or less conventional bulbs such as fdor outdoor or farm use (Gross 1949).

To date my research through patents suggests that the most frequent use of asbestos in specialty bulbs including bulbs used in analysis or detection of certain elements or chemicals, and in light-bulb-activated fragrance dispensers, some of which included asbestos on the bulb exterior (Andre 1956), perfume dispensers, room deodorizers, and vaporizers used for treatment of colds or other illnesses (Curban 1932).

Asbestos was also used inside the bulb in some bulb bases for mounting other elements, probably in a cementious mix. And asbestos was also used in some in-bulb mountants or insulators and in asbestos-containing washers in bulbs because of its insulating properties. And asbestos-coated foil or other materials was used in some lamps designed as late as 1970 (Hancock 1970).

A patent search for asbestos uses in light bulbs and fragrance dispensers shows a long history of these applications and also indicates that contemporary (after the late 1970's) at least in North America, those asbestos-containing lamps, light fixtures, and fragrance dispensers had been replaced by re-designed devices that avoided asbestos-use.

Some lamp and bulb patents we researched were indeed ultimately assigned to major producers such as General Electric and Westinghouse.

However have not yet been able to find scholarly research articles detailing support for asbestos exposure traced to light bulb manufacture.

Watch out: Some confusion about asbestos hazards and light bulbs may arise from sloppy research (including by mesothelioma attorneys) that encounters warnings of asbestos exposure when changing light bulbs mounted on or in ceilings that may themselves have contained asbestos (that is asbestos-containing ceiling materials).

Those might include acoustic ceiling tiles, plaster, drywall joint compound, and possibly some suspended ceiling tiles.

In addition, in researching asbestos exposure from light bulb use or manufacture, I found online photographs of non-asbestos materials such as mineral-wool insulation that were described by the people posting the photograph as an example (mistaken) of asbestos hazards.

In my OPINION, the hazard to consumers from asbestos in light bulbs used in their homes would generally be beneath the limits of detection, particularly since asbestos used in these devices was generally inside the device. But there may have been measurable hazards for people working in the industries that produced those products.

Indeed some of the web pages posted by legal firms seeking mesothlioma litigation clients cite exposure of Westinghouse workers to asbestos when manufacturing light bulbs, power plants, electrical insulation and wiring, and in performing maintenance that required removal of asbestos containing materials.

U.S. patents involving use of asbestos in bulbs, lamps, lights, and fragrance dispensers

Above: illustration from Brewster's asbestos-fragrance dispenser light bulb attachment, 1949.

• Andre, Tellier. "Perfume dispenser." U.S. Patent 2,741,812, issued April 17, 1956.
  Excerpt:
  
  This invention relates to perfume dispensers and has for its principal object to provide a perfume dispenser which can readily be applied to an electric lighting device in a room such as an incandescent bulb for utilizing the heat from the bulb for dispensing perfume odors around the room.
  
  Another object of the invention is to provide a perfume dispenser with resilient absorbent wings which are adapted to embrace the neck of an incandescent bulb. In Fig. l, the improved perfume dispenser is shown applied to the neck 10 of an incandescent electric light bulb 11 which is mounted in a socket 12 on the wall of a room. T
  
  he dispenser consists of a fiat body 13 of absorbent material such as blotting paper, asbestos and the like.
• Bauer, George C. "Combination vaporizing lamp and night light." U.S. Patent 2,824,208, issued February 18, 1958.
  Excerpt: ... be seated in a peripherally flanged, clamp-on cap 88 of heat-insulating material such as asbestos.
• Brewster, Gordon L., "Vaporizer device." U.S. Patent 2,468,164, issued April 26, 1949.
  Excerpt:
  
  An annular tube-like liner or saturator I comprising an outwardly flared body, preferably constructed of asbestos, cement or any other suitable non-inflammable compound, moulded, cast or shaped to conform to the shape of the neck or stem of a lamp bulb and having both ends thereof open, is designed to be encased within the housing and secured in position by the flanges 2 and 4 and their bent ends 3 and 5.
  
  The liner I is impregnated with a volatile or vaporizable substance, in liquid form, at any time either before or after it is positioned within the housing by submerging it for a time in the liquid of the substance desired to be vaporized. After the liner has become fully saturated, it is removed from the fluid, the excess moisture being removed by drying or by wiping off.
  
  The impregnated liner is encased in the housing and the housin is slid over the stem portion of a lamp bulb and the light bulb screwed into the light socket.
• Curban, Francis J. "Vapobizer." U.S. Patent 1,864,980, issued June 28, 1932.
  Excerpts:
  
  This invention relates to a vaporizer and more particularly to such a device'having special utility in the treatment of colds and other infections of the nose and throat. It isjalso 5 well adapted to function as a disinfecting or deodorizing device. ...
• Dündar-Mustafa, Deniz,. THE USE OF ASBESTOS AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS: A CASE STUDY [PDF] Phd Diss., Middle East Technical University, 2020.
  
  In order to prevent charring of the block, the interior of the same is provided with a covering 6 of a heat resisting medium, such as, asbestos, or the like, adapted to Contact the surface of the light bulb.
• Gross, Henry R., "Farm light." U.S. Patent 2,508,063, issued May 16, 1950.
  Excerpts:
  
  This invention is concerned generally with a Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view taken along the spotlight and more specifically with a portable line 4-4 of Fig. 2; spotlight for operation from a commercial power Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken line to give a focused beam of great intensity. along the line 55 of Fig. 2; The necessity for a small portable light p- Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a filament and erable from a commercial power line and capable ts mount; .of projecting an intense beam over an extended Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a modification distance for intermittent periods arises frequently 0f the structure shown in Fig. 6; in farms and suburban homes.
  
  Emergency situ- Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the intermediate ations involving repair jobs, ...
  A gasket 52 of asbestos is placed between the face 50 and the outer surface of the housing I2 and the handle I4 is secured to the housing by means such as screws or rivets 54. An asbestos pad 56 is cemented or otherwise secured over the washers 54 on the inner face of the rear of the housing I2 further to prevent heat transfer to the handle I4.
  
  The butt of the handle is apertured to receive a drop cord 58 which may be of any convenient length. As seen in Fig. 3, the handle I4 comprises a body portion 60 of substantially channel shape and a cover 62 secured thereto by any desirable means such as screws.
  
  A transversely extending wall 64 is secured within the body portion 60 and a second transverse wall 66 projects from the cover 62 to abut against the wall 64. Complementary semicircular openings in the walls provide a circular opening through which the conductors 68 of the drop cord 58 extend.
  
  A clip I secured about the conductors prevents their being pulled back through the aperture formed in the transverse walls. One of the conductors 68 is connected to a switch I2 carried within the handle I4 while the second conductor is spliced by means of a coupling I4 to an asbestos covered wire I6 leading to a socket 18. A second asbestos covered wire 80 interconnects the switch 12 and the socket I8.
• Hancock, John L., "Ornamental convection lamp." U.S. Patent 3,531,635, issued September 29, 1970.
  Excerpt:
  
  Turning to FIG. 4 of the drawings, it will be seen that there is provided a heat and light reflective enclosure 21 for the bulb 20. The said enclsoure comprises a split ring having a pair of thicknesses of reflective foil coated asbestos 22 and 24 sandwiched around a rigidifying metal core 26 and a flat bottom sheet 28 of reflective foil coated asbestos.

Above: Hancock's ornamental lamp using asbestos in its construction.

• HSE, UK, CLEANING LIGHT FITTINGS ATTACHED TO ASBESTOS INSULATING BOARD (AlB) [PDF] (2017) UK Health and Safety Executive, retrieved 2021/11/11 original source: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a5.pdf
  
  Excerpts: This sheet describes good practice when you need to clean a contaminated light fitting attached to AlB, eg to change a bulb or tube. This sheet is not appropriate where the AlB is damaged or may be damaged, eg by ‘rocking’ the screws during cleaning. Use an HSElicensed contractor for such work. See sheet em4 Using a Class H vacuum cleaner for asbestos when removing a screwed-in fitting, and sheet a6 for minor damage repair. This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless specifically stated, and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance.
• HSE, UK, REPAIRING MINOR DAMAGE to ASBESTOS INSULATING BOARD (AIB) [PDF] UK Health and Safety Executive, retrieved 2021/11/11 original source: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a6.pdf
  
• Keiffer, Lawrence R., "Electric lamp base." U.S. Patent 2,436,259, issued February 17, 1948.
  
  Excerpt; As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 the base also comprises a thin, flat electrically insulating piece l0 which rests on the flat end wall H of the neck 5 and extends outward through the
  opening 9 to electrically insulate the prongs 8 from the cap 3. A spacer l2 of electrically insulating material, such as asbestos board, which has a pair of straight slots l3 for accommodating the prongs 8, rests on the insulating piece I0,
• Keyes, Dale L., William M. Ewing, Steven M. Hays, William E. Longo, and James R. Millette. "Baseline studies of asbestos exposure during operations and maintenance activities." Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 9, no. 11 (1994): 853-860.
  
  Abstract
  Eight simulations of installation, repair, remodeling, and maintenance tasks in buildings with asbestos-containing material (ACM) were conducted to investigate worker exposure to airborne asbestos. Since the tasks were performed using typical custodial and maintenance procedures without regard to the presence of ACM, the results contribute to establishing exposure baselines for custodial and maintenance workers. These baselines can also be used to judge the effectiveness of special operations and maintenance programs designed to minimize asbestos exposure in buildings which contain asbestos materials.
  
  Six different types of tasks (moving an office wall, cleaning a storage area, replacing ceiling tile, repairing/installing electrical fixtures, repairing plaster, and removing carpet) and two types of ACM (fireproofing and acoustical plaster) were included in the eight simulations.
  
  Exposure was measured by monitoring levels of airborne asbestos before, during, and after the task (and for two simulations, during a subsequent cleaning phase). Both area and personal air samples were collected. All samples were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy following an indirect sample preparation; personal samples collected during the simulated tasks were also analyzed by phase contrast microscopy. Differences in airborne asbestos concentrations among the various study phases were compared using analysis of variance following a lognormal transformation of the data.
  
  Results for seven of the eight experiments showed that airborne asbestos was significantly elevated by the task simulated and, where worksite cleanup was a separate phase, by the cleaning activity.
  
  Ratios of concentrations of total asbestos fibers counted during the simulated task to those counted before the start of work ranged from 36 to almost 9400, with a mean of approximately 2000.
  
  These results indicate that custodial and maintenance work around or with ACM may significantly increase worker exposure; the use of special work practices to reduce fiber release and respiratory protection to reduce worker exposure are recommended.
• Kinney, Patrick L., Margaret H. Satterfield, and Rashid A. Shaikh. "Airborne fiber levels during asbestos operations and maintenance work in a large office building." Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 9, no. 11 (1994): 825-835.
• Koch Edward L, "Ultraviolet lamp." U.S. Patent 2,382,939, issued August 14, 1945.
  Excerpt: The asbestos washers I act as stops for the cement in applying ...
• Koirtyohann, S. R., and E. E. Pickett. "Background Corrections in Long Path Atomic Absorption Spectrometry." Analytical Chemistry 37, no. 4 (1965): 601-603.
  Excerpt:
  The tube rests on asbestos blocks for thermal insulation from the remainder of the support. ... Yew tubes can be used to determine calcium at 4227 A,...
• Lehmann, Ootthujp. "Ootthujp lehmann." U.S. Patent 1,803,334, issued May 5, 1931.
  Excerpt:
  The chamber 31 is adapted to receive a wad of asbestos wool 34 or similar suitable material adapted to be saturated with a perfume or fragrant extract or essence...
• Nicholson, William J., Edward M. Johnson, John S. Harington, James Melius, and Philip J. Landrigan. "Asbestos, carcinogenicity, and public policy." Science 248, no. 4957 (1990): 796-799.
• Moehn, Loren D. "The effect of quality of light on agonistic behavior of iguanid and agamid lizards." Journal of Herpetology (1974): 175-183.
  Excerpt: The asbestos lining was painted with aluminum paint to insure reflectance.
• Thomas, Adolph A, "Electric lamp." U.S. Patent 2,042,199, issued May 26, 1936.
• Withrow, Robert B., and Victor Elstad. "Water-cooled lamp systems with refluxing aqueous filters." Plant physiology 28, no. 2 (1953): 334.
  Excerpt: Unimpregnated asbestos Portland cement panels may be used if properly treated ...

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On 2021-11-11 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod) - asbestos used in the manufacture of lightbulbs in the 1940s

@Lynda M,

Thank you for the additional explanation.

For other readers, Linds's reference to "GEC on Coventry" refers to the General Electric Company whose telephone manufacturing facility moved from Manchester to Coventry in 1919. General Electric was a principal manufacturer of a wide range of electrical equipment, components, and devices including light bulbs in the UK. The U.K. GEC company is a completely separate company from the U.S. General Electric Corporation. At present the UK GEC is a public corporation headquartered at 1 Stanhope Gate London W1A EH United Kingdom, Rl: Tel: (01) 493-8484

In the UK GEC began manufacturing light bulbs in 1893, and began producing metal-filament lamps and bulbs in 1910.

In considering potential exposure to asbestos or any other harmful substance in the work environment in my opinion it would be a mistake to only consider the product being manufactured. There are simply thousands of other potential sources of exposure to materials used in buildings and building construction that, depending on the level and duration of exposure, could have been hazardous.

Indeed asbestos was was used in some light bulbs, depending on the type, at least as an insulator.

It may have also been in some other bulb components.

That alone doesn't tell you the level, quantity, Airborne exposure Etc.

You would need to be much more specific about the products if you think the asbestos exposure was coming for the product itself and its manufacture, then you would be by just specifying "light bulbs ".

On 2021-11-11 by Lynda M - asbestos in bulbs or lamps produced in the U.K. by GEC on Coventry in the 1940s

@Inspectapedia Com Moderator, Thanks for your reply. My mother passed away this year at the age of 90, from mesothelioma.

She worked at the GEC on Coventry from 1945 to approx. 1950 and we are trying to establish if she was exposed to asbestos there. I think at the time the GEC made lightbulbs. She had to go round the various department delivering and collecting the workers’ clocking in cards.

On 2021-11-10 Com Moderator (mod) - level of risk of asbestos exposure when changing a light bulb or fixture

@Lynda M,

Light Bulbs themselves or "lamps" were principally glass and porcelain and metal + filament comonents; asbestos was used in some specialty lamps and as insulation.

But you might also find asbestos in bulb sockets such as in a floor lamp or table lamp and even in the electrical wiring insulation in some cases such as theature wiring and lighting.

The more-plausible asbestos hazard associated with light bulbs was and might remain the disturbance of softer ceiling materials such as some ceiling tiles or drop ceilings when changing bulbs in those locations.

According to at least some researchers, changing light bulbs is a normal maintenance activity that, for bulbs installed in an asbestos-insulating-board ceilling, are considered "low disturbance." (Dundar-Mustafa 2020)

A study of exxposure to asbestos when changing a light fixture in an asbestos-containing ceiling reported: Concentrations ranging from 1 to 18 fibers per cubic centimeter were measured during the changing of light fixtures or removal of a ceiling panel. (Nicholson 1990).

Watch out: studies of the levels of exposure of custodial workers to asbestos during the normal course of building maintenance has shown that some activities may result in significant asbestos hazards. (Keyes 1994).

It would be helpful if you'd explain the reason for your question.

On 2021-11-10 by Lynda M - asbestos was used in the manufacture of lightbulbs?

I am trying to find out if asbestos was used in the manufacture of lightbulbs in the 1940s. Any info much appreciated!

On 2021-11-10 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod) - fabric lamp base looks like jute or burlap, not asbestos

@Peter,

We can't say with certainty although that fabric looks a bit like jute or burlap.

This lamp asbestos question is a good example of the wise lady from Philadelphia problem. She would probably point out that the cost of testing to confirm the presence or absence of asbestos is greater than the cost of replacing the lamp. When in doubt throw it out.

On 2021-11-10 by Peter

Could this old fluorescent desk lamp contain asbestos? The base has this soft pad on the bottom and I was concerned it could be asbestos. The date of manufacture is unknown. More pictures here: https://imgur.com/a/kylJYJH

[Photo above]

On 2020-04-20 - by (mod) -

Yes, Mac, asbestos was used in some lamp and light parts such as bulb holders, but you would not expect to find asbestos in ANY building materials produced in a home built in the 2000's

On 2020-04-20 by Mac

Hi, just wondering if asbestos was used on light fittings? Picture attached of what looks like it, would appreciate your feedback. It’s dusty to touch, house was built in 2000’s

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