Gilsonite

Gilsonite is a naturally occurring solid hydrocarbon (a type of asphaltite) mined primarily in the Uintah Basin of Utah. It is brittle, shiny black, and historically valued as an additive in asphalt, paints, inks, drilling muds, and roofing and pipe-coating products. Gilsonite itself contains no asbestos, but it was frequently combined with asbestos fibers in older industrial formulations.

Origin

Named for Samuel H. Gilson, a Utah promoter who commercialized the material in the 1880s. It was formally classified mineralogically as uintaite (or uintahite) after the Uintah Basin where it is mined, though the trade name "Gilsonite" became the common term and remains a registered trademark.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Gilsonite was a common binder and waterproofing agent in asphalt-based products that often also contained chrysotile asbestos, including roof coatings, roofing cements, mastics, pipeline wrap and coatings, foundation sealers, and certain floor tile and adhesive formulations. For patients with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related disease, identifying Gilsonite in a product can be a clue that the same product line may also have contained asbestos during the relevant era, especially in roofing and coating work performed before the 1980s. Drilling-mud additives containing Gilsonite were also used in oilfields where asbestos-containing muds and packings were present, which can matter for oilfield and refinery workers reconstructing their exposure history.

Example Sentence

The industrial hygienist's report noted that the foundation waterproofing my father applied as a roofer in the 1970s was a Gilsonite-based asphalt mastic that also contained chrysotile asbestos.

Related Terms

Chrysotile, Asphaltic Mastic, Roofing Felt, Pipe Coating, Drilling Mud, Product Identification

Notes

• If you worked with roofing cements, asphalt coatings, pipe wrap, or oilfield drilling muds, ask whether product datasheets or MSDS records list Gilsonite, uintaite, or asphaltite. These can help your legal team trace the specific manufacturer and formulation.
• Preserve any old product cans, labels, invoices, or job photographs; brand names like Flintkote, Karnak, Gibson-Homans, and others sold Gilsonite-asphalt products that were sometimes asbestos-bearing.
• Gilsonite alone is not the cause of asbestos disease. Its relevance is as a marker pointing to product lines and trades (roofing, waterproofing, oilfield) where asbestos co-exposure was common.
• Tell your doctor and attorney about any roofing, paving, pipeline, or oilfield work history; these trades are sometimes overlooked compared to shipyard or insulation work but carried significant asbestos exposure through Gilsonite-asphalt products.