Was Asbestos Used in Plaster?

Asbestos has been used in a wide range of products for many years, and although it has been banned in over 50 countries to date, the U.S. is not one of them. In fact, cement continues to account for nearly three-quarters of asbestos use today. As a durable and affordable adhesive and a reliable binder, for many years asbestos was added to plaster in homes and other buildings to strengthen and fireproof it. It was also used in other plaster-like substances, including clay, glue, and paint.

Before the late 1980s, plaster often contained asbestos.

Asbestos use in plaster was commonplace during most of the 20th century. Decorative plasters that were used between the 1940s and 1980s often contained asbestos before it became widely known as a carcinogen. Manufacturers of construction supplies also added the fibrous mineral to their products for an even longer period of time.

Asbestos has been used in earthenware for thousands of years.

Asbestos has been used in clay pottery dating back to ancient times. Able to be molded into any shape, the fibers were preferred. And heat resistant, it was the perfect option for the firing process.

Art supplies can also contain asbestos. Use caution.

Asbestos was also commonly added to art supplies. As a durable adhesive it was perfect for glue and tape, and bags of asbestos were used in kids’ painting kits. In spray paint, it could create a textured effect popular in popcorn and stucco ceilings, and traces of asbestos have been found in paint patches, joint compounds and silver paints.. 

Chrysotile, often called white asbestos, was applied over wall murals dating back to ancient times to give them a glossy finish and to seal in the vibrancy of the colors.

Asbestos was often used to strengthen and fireproof plaster.

Other popular uses of asbestos in plaster include in cement, plaster of Paris, and lime. 

Plaster of paris has been around since ancient times and is a quick-setting gypsum plaster made of a fine white powder that hardens when moistened and allowed to dry. In medieval and Renaissance times, sculptures were created using gesso, a mixture of plaster of paris and glue, and asbestos plaster was also used on wood paneling, stone and canvas surfaces.

In medicine, asbestos used to be included in plaster casts to cover broken bones. This was practiced for a number of years before it was replaced with fiberglass.

W.R. Grace & Other Manufacturers of Asbestos-Containing Plasters

W.R. Grace was one of the companies that routinely used asbestos-containing plaster in many of its products, including in attic insulation, spray-on insulation and fireproofing, high-temperature insulating cement, textured spray paint, surfacer and acoustical plaster. 

Materials manufacturer W.R. Grace began producing asbestos products.

Throughout the 20th century, the company acquired many other asbestos companies. In 1954, It acquired Davison Chemical Company and Dewey & Almy Chemical Company, and in 1963 it acquired Zonolite. With these acquisitions, W.R. Grace began to sell Monokote and Perltex brand-named products containing asbestos. It didn’t stop using the fibrous material until the 1990s.

Other companies also produced plaster containing asbestos.

Many other companies also used asbestos-containing plaster, including but not limited to the following:

Bestwall Gypsum: From the 1920s to the 1980s, the company manufactured many construction materials, including plaster, with asbestos.

CertainTeed: From the 1930s to the 1980s, CerTainteed cement sheets, cement pipes, plastic cement, sealing cement, cold process cement, acoustical plaster, roof coating, and joint treating compound all contained asbestos.

Flintkote Corporation: The company’s Synkoloid™ Plastibond and patching plaster (Patch Rite) contained asbestos from 1950 to 1976.

Georgia Pacific: GP’s plaster products that contained asbestos included acoustical plaster (1950-1974), GP-Lite™ acoustical plaster (1958-1964) and GP Patching Plaste™ (1956-1976).

Kaiser Gypsum: The company sold joint compounds, textured paints, and acoustical ceiling tiles all containing asbestos from 1952 to 1976.

National Gypsum: The company used asbestos in a wide variety of plasters including Gold Bond Fire-Shield™ plaster (1958-1970), Gold Bond Macoustic™ plaster (1942-1947), and Gold Bond Perfo-Lyte™ Acoustical plaster (1955-1972), among others.

What to Look for and What to Avoid When Dealing with Plaster that May Contain Asbestos

Unfortunately, it is impossible to identify asbestos-containing plaster by sight only. However, there are a few things to consider, including:

The age of the home: These plasters were commonly used before 1980, and any home built before that time will likely have some form of asbestos-containing plaster in it.

The type of plaster used: If it’s possible to identify the plaster’s manufacturer – maybe (but hopefully not!) there’s a can or two still lying around the home – this will be helpful in determining whether the brand contains asbestos.

Its texture: Since asbestos was commonly added to textured ceilings and stucco, these elements may include danger fibers.  

Testing for Asbestos in Plaster

The only real way to identify whether plaster contains asbestos is to have it tested. Even if renting, it’s important to know whether the place in which you’re living is exposing you to asbestos. If in doubt, ask a professional abatement company to do an assessment and sample any areas of concern. An air test can be performed to determine whether any plaster particles that have been released into the air contain asbestos, and results are often available right on the spot. Samples can be sent to a lab for further analysis.

Proper asbestos tests require an electron microscope. Get a professional.

If any of the samples taken come back positive, in order to protect your health and the health of those around you, have a company do the removal work. This will also protect you from legal issues that could arise from an improper (albeit, unintentional) clean-up.

While most plaster manufactured today is asbestos-free, the aftermath of years of use is still being felt. Every year, more and more people fall ill with asbestos-related health conditions. To address this, many of the companies above have set up trusts to compensate those who’ve been affected. There are also federal programs available to those who need them.

Do You Qualify For Compensation?

Quickly and easily find out how you were exposed by searching W.A.R.D., the largest asbestos database on the planet.

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

If you believe that your home was contaminated with asbestos, or you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being. 

All without filing a lawsuit.

The largest database of asbestos information on the planet.

W.A.R.D., which stands for the Worldwide Asbestos Research Database, helps clients to narrow down when and where they may have been exposed, as well as which products may still contain asbestos. W.A.R.D. will also help indicate compensation types and how much a person may be entitled to.

If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.

1 Boelter, F.W., Xia, Y. and Dell, L. (2015), Comparative Risks of Cancer from Drywall Finishing Based on Stochastic Modeling of Cumulative Exposures to Respirable Dusts and Chrysotile Asbestos Fibers. Risk Analysis, 35: 859-871. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12297
2 Dahlgren JG, Talbott PJ. Lung cancer from asbestos textured ceilings: a case study. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2016 Apr;22(2):175-8. doi: 10.1080/10773525.2016.1162952. Epub 2016 Apr 21. PMID: 27097900; PMCID: PMC4984962.