Firetard, also called Asbestos Firetard, was a Johns-Manville asbestos felt.1,2 In sworn answers in a 1969 lawsuit, J-M described it as "(Weather Proofing) A sheet of asphalt-saturated asbestos felt cemented to a sheet of unsaturated asbestos felt."1 An insurance company's 1981 list of asbestos products, compiled from other companies' answers in lawsuits, lists it as a paper, felt or blanket.3
The sources give different years. The 1981 list gives Firetard as made from 1931 to 1981; 1981 was the list's own year, so the end date may mean it was still being made.3 A 1990 EPA notice that published what Manville reported gives 1891 to 1962, as one date range for Asbestos Firefelt and Asbestos Firetard together.2 A 1970 notice from the general manager of J-M's Industrial Insulations Division still listed Asbestos Firetard under the Manville plant.4 In sworn answers in a 1958 lawsuit, J-M said Firetard was among the products sold to the insulation contractor H. W. Porter & Co. by Johns-Manville Sales Corporation from 1952 to 1956.5
The sources also disagree about how much asbestos it held: J-M's 1958 answers described Firetard, with several other products, as "Bonded asbestos fibers," and gave Firetard 60 to 70 percent asbestos.5 The 1990 notice gives one figure for Firefelt and Firetard together: asbestos, 95 to 98%, with inorganic binder, 2 to 5%, and asphalt, 0 to 10%.2 The 1970 notice listed Asbestos Firetard among the products to carry J-M's caution label L-4955, which read in part: "THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBER. AVOID BREATHING THE DUST."4
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Asbestos claims
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What each document says
Every statement about Firetard (Johns-Manville) in the documents, in each document's own words.
The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to plaintiff's interrogatories with exhibits
Asbestos; Publication of Identifying Information (1990)
- Asbestos content: “asbestos, 95 to 98%”, said by Manville Corporation, as recorded by U.S. EPA, Federal Register 55 FR (Feb. 13, 1990), p. 142
- Made from: “produced 1891 to 1962”, said by Manville Corporation, as recorded by U.S. EPA, Federal Register 55 FR (Feb. 13, 1990), p. 142
- Made until: “produced 1891 to 1962”, said by Manville Corporation, as recorded by U.S. EPA, Federal Register 55 FR (Feb. 13, 1990), p. 142
- Ingredient: “inorganic binder, 2 to 5%; asphalt, 0 to 10%”, said by Manville Corporation, as recorded by U.S. EPA, Federal Register 55 FR (Feb. 13, 1990), p. 142
The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981)
M. W. Burleson's Notice to the Industrial Insulations Division on Health Hazard Caution Labels (1970)
- Warning label: “label L-4955: THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBER. AVOID BREATHING THE DUST.”, p. 34
- Made at: “Manville Plant” (as of 1970) (the plant: Manville, New Jersey), p. 24
LeGrande v. Johns-Manville Products, Plaintiff's Interrogatories and J-M's Answers (1957)
Manville Fund's Answers to Interrogatories in Gunn v. Celotex (1989)
- Made from: “Date Manufactured: 1931”, p. 1036
- Warning label: “Date Labeled: 1970”, p. 1036
- Made until: “Date Discontinued: 1980”, p. 1036
- Made at: “Manville Plant, Manville, New Jersey (1913 through 1985): Asbestos Firetard” (at Manville) (the plant: Manville, New Jersey), p. 626
- Asbestos content: “88.9 - 92.0 % fiber by weight”, p. 1036
- Asbestos fiber: “Chrysotile”, p. 1036
- Form: “Blankets”, p. 1036
- Description: “A fire-retardant weatherproof jacket consisting of a sheet of asphalt-saturated asbestos felt cemented to a sheet of unsaturated asbestos felt”, p. 776
- Asbestos content: “asbestos containing”, p. 626
- Use: “used on outdoor pipe insulation and small diameter vessels wherever fire hazards are present”, p. 776
The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories with exhibits
- Description: “ASBESTOS FIRETARD. (Weather Proofing) A sheet of asphalt-saturated asbestos felt cemented to a sheet of unsaturated asbestos felt.”, p. 217
- Description: “FIRETARD. (Weather Proofing) A specially fire-resistant gypsum wallboard.”, p. 247
- Use: “A pipe covering weatherproof jacket.”, p. 247
- Asbestos content: “asphalt-saturated asbestos felt cemented to a sheet of unsaturated asbestos felt”, p. 217
Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects, Volume Two
- Description: “insulated covering” (as of 1931), p. 778
Manville Fund's Responses to Plaintiffs' Interrogatories in Moore v. H.K. Porter (1990)
- Made at: “Waukegan Plant (1922 to 1985): Asbestos Firetard” (at Waukegan) (the plant: Waukegan, Illinois), p. 279
- Asbestos content: “asbestos containing”, p. 229
- Made at: “Manville Plant (1913 to 1985): Asbestos Firetard” (at Manville) (the plant: Manville, New Jersey), p. 229
Kind of product
We list Firetard (Johns-Manville) with pipe covering and block insulation and paper, felt and millboard, from how the documents describe its form. Those pages explain how such products exposed workers.
Trades that worked with products like it: Insulators and Insulation Workers, Pipefitters and Plumbers, Roofers.
Other pipe covering and block insulation by Johns-Manville (60)
Thermobestos · Superex · Asbestocel · 85 Magnesia · Thermobestos pipe covering · Colorthin · Equality · Eureka Covering · Express Covering · Fibrocel · Fine Corrugated Asbestocel · Fire Felt · High Temperature Insulation · Indented · Johns-Manville Jm · Johns-Manville Transite Asbestos Wood · Magno · Marinite · Min-k 1301 · Min-k 2000 · and 40 more on the company's page
Pipe covering and block insulation by other makers (216)
Careytemp (Philip Carey) · Kaylo (Owens-Corning) · Unibestos (Union Asbestos & Rubber Co.) · Kaylo (Owens-Illinois) · Unibestos (Pittsburg Corning) · Epitherm 1200 (Eagle-Picher) · Excel (Philip Carey) · Featherweight (Keasbey & Mattison) · FI Cement (Fibreboard) · Fibrous Adhesive (General Refractories) · Finecell (Atlas Turner) · Fireguard Jacketing (Philip Carey) · Flexible Trainline (CertainTeed) · Flexible Trainline Pipe (CertainTeed) · Frostproof (Keene/Ehret) · Gaf Hylo (GAF) · Glasweld (United States Plywood) · Griptex (Combustion Engineering) · Grosscell (Philip Carey) · Hightemp #12 (Philip Carey) · and 196 more: all pipe covering and block insulation
Other paper, felt and millboard by Johns-Manville (89)
Min-k · Doublex · Thermomat · Vitribestos · D C Flexstone · Coated Asbestos Base Felt · Cold Application Felt · Commercial Grade Asbestos Paper · Copperclad · Engineers Insulating Tape · Fibroid · Fire Felt · Flexstone Mineral Surface Cap Sheet · Gold-Line · High Strength Fibroid Asbestos Paper · High Temperature Flexible Min-k Blankets · J-m Built-up Roof · Johns-Manville Jm · Long Fiber Asbestos Paper · Microbestos · and 69 more on the company's page
Paper, felt and millboard by other makers (210)
Pyrotex (Raybestos-Manhattan) · Insubestos (Unarco) · Limpet (Keasbey & Mattison) · Novabestos (Raybestos-Manhattan) · Sal-mo (Nicolet) · Fiberock Cap Sheet (Philip Carey) · Filawound (Spaulding Fibre) · Fireclad (Celotex) · Fireclad (Philip Carey) · Firefly 800 (TBA Industrial Products, Turner & Newall) · Fireguard (Philip Carey) · Fireguard Jacketing (Philip Carey) · Flamegard (H. K. Porter) · Florobestos (Raybestos-Manhattan) · Fluorobestos (Raybestos-Manhattan) · Foil Laminates (Nicolet) · Fosterite Asbestos (Westinghouse) · Frost-Proof Pipe Covering (GAF) · Fyrbestos (Keene/Beh) · Fyrex (Grant Wilson) · and 190 more: all paper, felt and millboard
See also
- Johns-Manville: the company's history, documents, people, products and plants
- Johns-Manville on our products page: what the documents say about the company's asbestos products, with sources
References
- The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to plaintiff's interrogatories with exhibits (December 29, 1969), p. 21.
- Asbestos; Publication of Identifying Information (February 13, 1990), p. 14.
- The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981) (April 30, 1981), p. 5.
- M. W. Burleson's Notice to the Industrial Insulations Division on Health Hazard Caution Labels (July 1, 1970), pp. 2–3.
- LeGrande v. Johns-Manville Products, Plaintiff's Interrogatories and J-M's Answers (January 17, 1958), pp. 11–12.
- Manville Fund's Answers to Interrogatories in Gunn v. Celotex (December 7, 1989), p. 103.
- The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories with exhibits (March 27, 1970), p. 21.
- Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects, Volume Two (1986), p. 77. Not yet published in our library.
- Manville Fund's Responses to Plaintiffs' Interrogatories in Moore v. H.K. Porter (February 15, 1990), p. 27.
Cite this page
“Firetard (Johns-Manville).” AsbestosClaims.Law Library. https://asbestosclaims.law/library/products/johns-manville-firetard.
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