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Asbestos in Blankets

Asbestos fire blankets, welding blankets & use in electric blankets

POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about uses of & hazards of asbestos in blankets of various types

This article describes types of blankets that used or may have used or been made of asbestos.

Page top illustration: R.A. Doyle's 1942 patent for a fire extinguishing blanket.

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Asbestos Blankets: Types, Uses, Hazards.

Bottom line: Asbestos textile-based blankets were used in a variety of applications, most famously in fire smothering blankets and in blankets used to protect surrounding materials from hot sparks during welding operations.

Asbestos welding blankets were widely used and are probably more-hazardous if they're worn, torn, frayed.

Asbestos might be present as a component of the electrical wiring insulation in some electric blankets - not likely to be hazardous if the blanket is undamaged.

Here are more details on the uses of asbestos in blankets of various sorts.

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Asbestos in Electric Blankets

Several sources have cited the use of asbestos in electric blankets.

We post that the most likely occurrence of asbestos in an older electric blanket would be as an ingredient in the insulation found on electric wires in the blanket. Typically the electric wires used in an electric blanket also wear an exterior plastic coating, making the release of asbestos through the blanket unlikely.

Research on use of asbestos in electric blankets

Hwang, Sung Ho, and Wha Me Park. EVALUATION of ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS & RELEASED FIBERS in HOME APPLIANCES [PDF] Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, Volume 66, 2016 - Issue 9: A Special Issue of JA&WMA on NOAA's 7th International Workshop on Air Quality Forecasting Research (IWAQFR)
Excerpt:
… In this study, asbestos was not detected in the air around the asbestos-containing products when the products were in use, because ACM was firmly seated in the inner parts of the …
New Jersey, ASBESTOS, A GUIDE for NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS [PDF], NJ Department of Health & Senior Services, Consumer, Environmental & Occupational Health Service Indoor Environments Program PO Box 369 Trenton, NJ 08625-0369 Phone: 609-826-4950 Fax: 609-826-4975 state.nj.us/health/iep - retrieved 2023/05/06, original source: rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu
The authors include electric blankets as a household appliance that, if made before 1980, could have used asbestos components, the writers added:
"As long as an appliance that contains asbestos is not broken or improperly used, it should be safe. With normal use, it is unlikely that the asbestos in these products will create a hazard. Don’t attempt to repair any of these appliances yourself, take them to the manufacturer or dispose of them."

Don't confuse blankets used in normal household use with fire blankets used by firefighters. Those are discussed separately and often made substantial use of asbestos.

Asbestos Fire Blankets

The asbestos fire blanket shown above is discussed in the U.K. publication series Asbestos Essentials: Floor tiles, textiles, and composites, retrieved 2017/11/10, original source: hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/floortiles.htm

Asbestos fire blankets were used by firefighters and also were sometimes stored in buildings where fire was a particular risk.

Examples of asbestos containing fire blankets as well as opinions that other materials such as fiberglass might be preferred for some uses are given in these example U.S. Patents.

Cholin, Roger R., and Kenneth E. Guest. "Fire extinguishing blanket." U.S. Patent 3,486,563, issued December 30, 1969. - uses plastic and fire extinguishing chemicals, not asbestos.
Botsolas, Christos J. LAMINATED INSULATION BLANKET [PDF] U.S. Patent 4,054,710, issued October 18, 1977.
Excerpt:
The jacketing material is preferably a combination of vapor barrier film of a metallized polyethylene terephthalate with its aluminum coated face bonded to one face of a layer of glass fiber-reinforced asbestos paper which has its other face bonded to an exterior surface film of polyvinyl fluoride.
Doyle, Robert A. FIRE EXTINGUISHING BLANKET [PDF] U.S. Patent 2,340,370, issued February 1, 1944.
Proposed using a fireproof filler that included sand, crushed rock, or asbestos.

Diacos, Harry Theodore. FIRE BLANKET [PDF] U.S. Patent 2,720,269, issued October 11, 1955.
Excerpts:
My present invention relates generally to fire extin guishing devices and more particularly to a new and im proved construction for a blanket for Smothering fires.
As is well known, the householder is continuously confronted with the dangers of small fires and the problem of providing adequate facilities to combat such.
Other materials such as asbestos sheeting are suitable for this purpose also, but asbestos in particular is not of my preference due to its weight, fracturing qualities and general fragileness.
Be that as it may, for present purposes and to those who wish to practice my invention I strongly urge the employment of the modern fiber glass fabrics.
Elliott, Paul C. KIT for CONTROLLING MATTRESS FIRES [PDF] U.S. Patent 3,361,214, issued January 2, 1968.
Essentially a fire blanket used to wrap a burning matteress to control and then extinguish the fire.
Mitchell, N. FIRE PROTECTION DEVICE for BUILDING STRUCTURE [PDF] U.S. Patent 3,766,958, issued October 23, 1973. [Does not use the word "asbestos"]
This is an awning designed to protect a building with a fireproof roof and gable end wall cover in the event of a fire. - Ed.
Excerpt: An additional object of this invention is to provide a fire protective device for covering the building structure with a fire resistant curtain or blanket to protect the structure from sparks, flames and intense heat of a forest or brush fire.
Steffens, Walter L. HEAT INSULATING and FIREPROOF MATERIAL [PDF] U.S. Patent 1,721,096, issued July 16, 1929.
Wallis, N. FIRE BLANKET PACK [PDF] U.S. Patent 3,828,856, issued August 13, 1974.
Excerpt:
The weft cords A are comor cord used posed, preferably, of blue African asbestos fibre and cotton in the proportion by weight ,of substantially 90% of blue African fibre and 10% cotton.
Excerpts:
The blanket may be any suitable fire-resistant material. Possibilities are asbestos, wool, glass fibre or leather. It is preferred to use a lighter, less bulky material and glass fibre appears the most suitable. It must be borne in mind that the blanket must still be stiff enough not to sag into, for example, a saucepan or burning fat.
Use of a material such as wool or glass fibre also means that even after use in extinguishing a fire, the blanket can be washed and replaced in its bag.

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Asbestos Welding Blankets

Similar fireproof cloth blankets were used in both electric and acetylene welding operations to protect surrounding materials from burning or fire damage from the spray of hot sparks that may be created during welding.

Example Research on Health Hazards from Asbestos Welding Blankets

Leonard, Kathie. "Raising the Bar on Hot Work Safety." In ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exposition, pp. ASSE-06. ASSE, 2006.
Excerpt: Until the 1970's, asbestos fiber was the primary choice for heat-resistant fabric, and it performed extremely well in many applications, including welding and fire protection. But when asbestos was banned in the 1970's, industry drove the need for substitute materials that could take heat.
Pairon, Jean‐Claude, Laurent Martinon, Yuriko Iwatsubo, Françoise Vallentin, Marie‐Annick Billon‐Galland, Jean Bignon, and Patrick Brochard. "Retention of asbestos bodies in the lungs of welders." American journal of industrial medicine 25, no. 6 (1994): 793-804.
Rocskay, Adrian Z., Michael R. Harbut, Margaret A. Green, David L. Osher, and Edward T. Zellers. "Respiratory health in asbestos‐exposed ironworkers." American journal of industrial medicine 29, no. 5 (1996): 459-466.

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Other Asbestos "Blankets"

"Blankets" of rock wool or mineral wool insulation were produced that were occasionally (not usually in residential building applications) covered by asbestos paper where we see kraft paper or aluminum foil paper on fiberglass or other batt insulation.

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

- asbestos used in electric blankets or electric blanket wiring

@Kellie,

Thank you for the question about the use of asbestos in electric blankets.

A review of the research and discussion of asbestos use in blankets as the word occurs on this page above reminds us that asbestos was used in fire blankets used in fighting fires. and may occur on electric wires in electric blankets.

Your question including the use of asbestos electrical wire insulation is perfectly reasonable, but I we had not , before researching this question for you, found an instance of asbestos used in electric blankets fabric nor their wires.

Asbestos was used in electric wire insulation in high heat and high fire risk applications such as theater wiring.

However absence of evidence is not the same thing as evidence of absence.

Put another way, it's more difficult to prove that a product was never made then to prove that it was made.

So I did some additional research to double check this opinion about wiring in electric blankets. Here's what we found:

Well my OPINION may have been mistaken about asbestos use in electric blankets.

The claim of asbestos use in electric blankets appears in

ASBESTOS, A GUIDE for NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS [PDF], NJ Department of Health & Senior Services, Consumer, Environmental & Occupational Health Service Indoor Environments Program PO Box 369 Trenton, NJ 08625-0369 Phone: 609-826-4950 Fax: 609-826-4975 www.state.nj.us/health/iep - retrieved 2023/05/06, original source: rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu
Where the authors include electric blankets as a household appliance that, if made before 1980, could have used asbestos components, the writers added:
"As long as an appliance that contains asbestos is not broken or improperly used, it should be safe. With normal use, it is unlikely that the asbestos in these products will create a hazard. Don’t attempt to repair any of these appliances yourself, take them to the manufacturer or dispose of them."
Dahlgren, James, and Patrick Talbott. "Case report: peritoneal mesothelioma from asbestos in hairdryers." International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health 21, no. 1 (2015): 1-4.

but we were not up for paying nearly $60. just to read through the article to confirm exactly what the authors had to say.

We're looking for further details to see exactly how asbestos may have been used in some electric blankets, such as inside of a control or in blanket wiring.

For products that have been left intact, not dis-assembled nor damaged, most appliances (hair dryers may be an exception were not found to release enough asbestos that it was detected in air around the product when the product was in use.

Hwang, Sung Ho, and Wha Me Park. EVALUATION of ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS & RELEASED FIBERS in HOME APPLIANCES [PDF] Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, Volume 66, 2016 - Issue 9: A Special Issue of JA&WMA on NOAA's 7th International Workshop on Air Quality Forecasting Research (IWAQFR) 922-929.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to detect asbestos-containing products and released asbestos fibers from home appliances. The authors investigated a total of 414 appliances manufactured between 1986 and 2007. Appliances were divided into three categories: large-sized electric appliances, small-sized electric appliances, and household items.
Analysis for asbestos-containing material (ACM) was performed using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and stereoscopic microscopy. Air sampling was performed to measure airborne concentration of asbestos using a phase-contrast microscope (PCM).
The results of the analysis for ACM in appliances show that large-sized electric appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, kimchi-refrigerators) and household items (bicycles, motorcycles, gas boilers) contain asbestos material and small-sized electric appliances do not contain asbestos material.
All appliances with detected asbestos material showed typical characteristics of chrysotile (7–50%) and tremolite (7–10%). No released fibers of ACM were detected from the tested appliances when the appliances were operating.
This study gives the basic information on asbestos risk to people who use home appliances.
Implications: All appliances with detected asbestos material showed typical characteristics of chrysotile (7–50%) and tremolite (7–10%). No released fibers of ACM were detected from the tested appliances when the appliances were operating.|
Excerpt:
… In this study, asbestos was not detected in the air around the asbestos-containing products when the products were in use, because ACM was firmly seated in the inner parts of the …

We have several old electric blankets most likely from the 1970s/1980s, and I was wondering if they might contain asbestos.

They are full sized, and in various colors. Not sure about the brand or material. Was it common for them to include asbestos, and if so, what parts? Would it be woven into the material, or coating the wires.

The blankets themselves are like a fuzzy polyester material. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you!

Question: does my blanket contain asbestos?

2019/11/0-1 M said: I've been recently using an antique wool blanket but after a while it seems that white fibres are coming out of it.

Under the wool there seems to be a woven net. The company name is Earlwood. Could this possibly contain asbestos?

Reply: no not in the fabric - wool is just that.

Earl-Wood wool blankets are sold widely throughout the U.K. and are described as tartan wool blankets; Earl-wood blankets were also imported and sold by Hudson Bay Co.

I have found no mention of asbestos in that product, and it seems unlikely. Where asbestos would be used in a "blanket" would be where fireproofing would have been critical such as fire-control blankets.

Finally, take a look at the label on the Earl-Wood tartan throw blanket shown here: the label advertises "Pure Wool".

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