Catalytic Converters and Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was once prized for its inherent resilience to heat, electricity, and corrosion. Since asbestos can withstand high temperatures and even act as an insulator, it was used to fabricate and reinforce a variety of automotive parts, including some aftermarket catalytic converter components.

While the Environmental Protection Agency now prohibits the sale of most asbestos products, the federal government never ordered companies to recall contaminated car parts. Many older vehicles still contain asbestos materials. Over time, these asbestos-containing materials can degrade and deteriorate.

When asbestos-containing materials begin to disintegrate, they pose a significant inhalation risk. Car mechanics and automobile enthusiasts who work with or around older vehicles could inadvertently inhale asbestos fiber, a known human carcinogen that can cause serious illnesses up to and including cancer.

If you may have been exposed to asbestos, speak with your healthcare provider about tests and screening to help detect the presence of asbestos fibers and asbestos-related diseases.

Background on Asbestos and Catalytic Converters

Asbestos was once considered a “miracle mineral,” renowned for its inherent strength, resilience, and heat-resistant properties.

People have mined, manufactured, and traded asbestos for thousands of years. In Ancient Egypt, embalmers would often wrap the bodies of their deceased pharaohs in asbestos-based linen, which protected mummies from rapid decomposition.

During the Industrial Revolution, companies across the United States, Europe, and Australia used asbestos to meet rising demand for affordable, durable housing. For over 100 years, American industry thrived off asbestos, putting the mineral in everything from brake pads to wall paint.

The Connection Between Asbestos and Catalytic Converters

Automobile manufacturers and automotive parts makers used asbestos-containing materials for a variety of purposes. Every type of asbestos is:

• Durable
• Heat-resistant
• Resilient to corrosion

Since many vehicle parts are subjected to intense mechanical and environmental forces, asbestos was used to reinforce components that faced high friction or intense engine heat.

Asbestos was used in a lot of automotive products, including brake pads and even catalytic converters.

Asbestos is frequently found in the following automotive products, especially products that were manufactured before 1980:

• Air hoses
• Brake pads
• Brake linings
• Clutches
• Clutch linings
• Engine parts
• Gaskets
• Heat seals
• Hood liners
• Insulating materials
• Muffler
• Valve rings

Asbestos was rarely, if ever, used to manufacture catalytic converters.

However, since catalytic converters are designed to withstand high temperatures, some automobiles could contain aftermarket asbestos products in or around the catalytic converter.

In some cases, mechanics and car enthusiasts used asbestos-containing wrap, tape, and cloth to either insulate or reinforce automotive structures. These products could be almost anywhere inside a car but are most commonly found around heat-sensitive components in older vehicles.

Automobiles and the Risks of Asbestos Exposure

Mechanics who worked on older vehicles are at a risk of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is not always dangerous. When asbestos-containing materials are left undisturbed, they pose very little risk to human health.

However, mechanical and environmental forces can cause asbestos-containing automotive materials to disintegrate over time. When asbestos begins to disintegrate and crumble, it is called “friable.” Since friable asbestos can spread—both by touch and through the air—it poses a significant inhalation risk.

Anyone who spent a lot of time in a garage or worksite with asbestos auto parts may have been exposed.

Friable asbestos dust is comprised of many microscopic fibers. These asbestos fibers have no scent and are invisible to the naked eye.

Asbestos fibers are so small that they can be inhaled and even enter the lungs, causing scarring, inflammation, and cellular abnormalities.

The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos exposure still presents a serious health hazard.

Common conditions attributed to asbestos exposure include but are not limited to:

• Asbestosis, or the scarring of lungs caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers.
• Pleuraldisease, a non-malignant lung condition that affects the pleural membranes encasing the lungs and chest, making it more difficult to breathe.
• Mesothelioma, an unusually aggressive form of cancer that can affect the tissue surrounding most of the body’s major internal organs. People who inhale asbestos are most likely to be diagnosed with mesothelioma of the lung.
• Different cancers, including lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and even stomach cancer. People who have a history of both cigarette smoking and exposure to asbestos face are much more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than people who have a history of only cigarette smoking or only asbestos exposure.

However, even aggressive asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma often present no immediate symptoms.

Since mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses have latency periods that can exceed 50 years from the first asbestos exposure, many people do not realize that they were exposed to asbestos until they begin experiencing critical respiratory problems later in life.

Second-hand asbestos exposure (Secondary Asbestos Exposure)

Even the workers’ families were affected due to secondhand exposure—asbestos fibers are extremely durable and can cling to skin and clothing, traveling great distances with those directly exposed.

Asbestos fibers have no taste or smell, and can be microscopic, so you may not realize you were breathing them.

Unfortunately, many workers’ families and other household members were exposed to asbestos as well, as asbestos was brought home daily in neighborhoods across the U.S. on work-clothing.

This is often known as secondary or second-hand asbestos exposure (or domestic / household family asbestos exposure). In studies of asbestos disease, 1 in 5 cases of asbestos exposure were caused by secondary asbestos exposure.

But spouses and children can also receive a share of the $30 Billion in asbestos trust compensation if they were exposed to asbestos brought into the house or family vehicle by a worker.

The Costs of Automotive Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos-related illnesses often exact harsh financial and physical tolls.

Since asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other asbestos diseases many not present any symptoms for decades after the first asbestos exposure, people who are diagnosed with these life-changing conditions often struggle to afford effective medical treatment.

Even with a comprehensive health insurance policy, the costs of mesothelioma treatment can average between $11,000 and $12,000 per month.

Mesothelioma patients could also suffer other losses, including:

• Payment for prescription drugs, such as painkillers and chemotherapy pills.
• Physical therapy, which is mandatory for many cancer patients.
• Lost income from work.

How a Mesothelioma Lawyer Could Help You Understand Your Options After Diagnosis

The physical, financial, and emotional costs of an asbestos illness could seem overwhelming.

However, people with serious asbestos-related conditions, like mesothelioma, could be entitled to significant compensation.

1 Tompa E, Kalcevich C, McLeod C, Lebeau M, Song C, McLeod K, et al. The economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma due to occupational and para-occupational asbestos exposure. Occup Environ Med 2017; 74: 816-22.