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Novatex (Raybestos-Manhattan)

Novatex was an asbestos textile made by Raybestos-Manhattan and sold as cloth, tape, tubing and yarn.1,2 In June 1970, Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, carried the company's announcement of Novatex as "a new class of asbestos textile products" to be marketed by its Asbestos Textile Division, then being made at a pilot plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.3 An insurance company's 1981 list of asbestos products, compiled from other companies' answers in lawsuits, gives an earlier start: it lists Novatex as made from 1967 to 1981, and an end year of 1981 is the list's own year, so it may mean the product was still being made.2

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What it was made of

The 1970 announcement said the new textile met ASTM Grade AAAA, "99 to 100 per cent asbestos content." The 1981 list gives 100 in the column read as percent asbestos.2,3 Raybestos-Manhattan described Novatex as a "totally inorganic asbestos yarn" made by a new wet process, and called the process from yarn to cloth "essentially dust-free."3 The U.S. Bureau of Mines' 1975 Minerals Yearbook reported a process that kept the asbestos immersed throughout production of Novatex yarns.4 In 1975 the company said the process used "the more-plentiful and less-costly grades of asbestos fibers."5 Its 1978 ads said the yarns were "extruded wet through a nozzle" rather than formed dry, and then treated with its SEALSAFE process.1

Where it was used

The 1970 announcement said Novatex was suited to protective clothing, the metal and glass industries and foundries.3 A 1971 Raybestos-Manhattan ad called it lighter, stronger and more heat resistant than conventional asbestos textiles, and its 1978 ads said it protected to 900°F.1,6 In August 1975 the company announced plans to expand its wet-process system until Novatex yarn could replace conventional yarn in most of its industrial textiles, packings and seal products.5

In 1974 internal memos, John J. Magenheimer of the company's Advanced Research Laboratory called safety garments "a perfect application" for "filled" Novatex, made with fillers such as neoprene or nitrile.7 He urged getting a filled Novatex on the market as soon as possible, and proposed an aluminized one as well.7,8 In 1975 Graham Gibbs of McGill University studied asbestos fabrics for Raybestos-Manhattan, including safety garments made from Novatex.9 His report lists a "Plain Neoprene filled" Grade AAAA fabric under a code he took to mean Novatex, and says holes developed in all but one of the Novatex materials in a mitten test, which suggested the fabric "may have a wear problem."9

What each document says

Every statement about Novatex (Raybestos-Manhattan) in the documents, in each document's own words.

Asbestos Magazine, 1978, February 1978

  • Form: “cloth, tape, tubing and yarn”, p. 681
  • Description: “yarns extruded wet through a nozzle; products treated with SEALSAFE; emits fewer fibers than the OSHA standard with proper work practices”, p. 681
  • Temperature limit: “Protects to 900° F.”, p. 681

The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981)

  • Made from: “67”, p. 72
  • Asbestos content: “100”, p. 72
  • Form: “CLOTH,TAPE,TUBING”, p. 72
  • Made until: “81”, p. 72

Asbestos Magazine, 1970, June 1970

  • Made from: “being manufactured at a pilot plant (June 1970)”, said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 223
  • Made at: “pilot plant in North Charleston, South Carolina” (the plant: North Charleston, South Carolina), said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 223
  • Asbestos content: “ASTM Grade AAAA (99 to 100 per cent asbestos content)”, said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 223
  • Use: “protective clothing, metal and glass industries, foundries”, said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 223
  • Description: “totally inorganic asbestos yarn produced by a new wet process; essentially dust-free from yarn to cloth”, said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 223

Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1975

  • Description: “process keeps asbestos immersed throughout production of Novatex yarns”, p. 124

Asbestos Magazine, 1975, August 1975

  • Use: “planned to replace conventional yarn in most R/M industrial textiles, packings and seal products”, said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 105
  • Description: “proprietary wet-process yarn system”, said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 105
  • Fiber grade: “the more-plentiful and less-costly grades of asbestos fibers”, said by Raybestos-Manhattan, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 105

Asbestos Magazine, 1971, November 1971

  • Description: “lighter, stronger and more heat resistant than conventional asbestos textiles; incombustible”, p. 26

John J. Magenheimer to J. H. Marsh on Further McGill Work on Asbestos Safety Garments (1974)

  • Change: “recommends producing a commercial aluminized and filled Novatex”, p. 17
  • Ingredient: “fillers in filled Novatex, e.g. neoprene, nitrile”, p. 17
  • Use: “safety garments (filled Novatex)”, p. 17

John J. Magenheimer to J. T. Trainor on the Size Distribution of Novatex Fibers (1974)

  • Change: “filled Novatex not yet on the market; to be put on the market ASAP”, p. 18
  • Description: “filled wet processed material is likely the safest asbestos textile possible with present technology”, p. 18

McGill University Research Contract with Raybestos-Manhattan and Graham Gibbs' Report on Fiber Release from Asbestos Fabrics (1975)

  • Description: “Novatex fabric may have a wear problem (holes in mitten test)”, p. 109
  • Ingredient: “28P067N Grade AAAA Plain Neoprene filled”, p. 79
  • Use: “safety garments manufactured from Novatex”, p. 39

USPTO trademark case files (Trademark Full Text XML Data, Annual Applications, 2025 edition)

  • Sold from: “first used in commerce 1969-04-24”, said by RAYBESTOS-MANHATTAN, INC., as recorded by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office10
  • Description: “TEMPERATURE RESISTANT ASBESTOS AND BINDER REINFORCED ASBESTOS TEXTILE FABRICS FOR FABRICATION INTO OTHER PRODUCTS”, said by RAYBESTOS-MANHATTAN, INC., as recorded by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office10
  • Description: “ASBESTOS YARNS”, said by RAYBESTOS-MANHATTAN, INC., as recorded by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office10
  • Description: “asbestos textile” (as of 1970), p. 9611

Kind of product

We list Novatex (Raybestos-Manhattan) with cloth, tape and other textiles, from how the documents describe its form. That page explains how such products exposed workers.

Other cloth, tape and other textiles by Raybestos-Manhattan (37)

Pyrotex · Novabestos · Polybestos · Glassbestos · Speedlag · Eleven-thirty-three · Flourobestos · Gatortape · Glasbestos · Goldbestos · Green Shield · Greenshield · Quik Flame Oil Stove Wicking · R/M Glassbestos · R/M Green Shield · R/M Style 25 Thermal Insulating Tape · R/M Style 41-Rpd Pyrotex Yarns · Raybestex · Rhinobestos · RM 24 H120 · and 17 more on the company's page

Cloth, tape and other textiles by other makers (264)

Min-k (Johns-Manville) · Thermobestos pipe covering · Sal-mo (Nicolet) · Insutape (Unarco) · Thermomat (Johns-Manville) · Nicolon (Nicolet) · No Dust (Consolidated Asbestos) · No. 118 Kearsarge Gaskets (Johns-Manville) · No. 55 Cable Fireproofing Tape (Johns-Manville) · Noramite (Cape Asbestos) · Noramite (North American Asbestos) · Novabestos (Irvington) · Nu-Flex (Car-Mon Products) · Old Hickory (Industrial Gloves Company) · Palmetto Cabcock (Greene Tweed & Co.) · Pars (Pars Manufacturing) · Perf-a-tape (U.S. Gypsum) · Philbestos (Pacor) · Polybes (Sun Chemical) · Porterlag (H. K. Porter) · and 244 more: all cloth, tape and other textiles

See also

References

  1. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, February 1978 (February 1, 1978), p. 68.
  2. The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981) (April 30, 1981), p. 7.
  3. Asbestos Magazine, 1970, June 1970 (June 1, 1970), p. 22.
  4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1975 (January 1, 1975), p. 12.
  5. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, August 1975 (August 1, 1975), p. 10.
  6. Asbestos Magazine, 1971, November 1971 (November 1, 1971), p. 2.
  7. John J. Magenheimer to J. H. Marsh on Further McGill Work on Asbestos Safety Garments (March 4, 1974), p. 1.
  8. John J. Magenheimer to J. T. Trainor on the Size Distribution of Novatex Fibers (June 17, 1974), p. 1.
  9. McGill University Research Contract with Raybestos-Manhattan and Graham Gibbs' Report on Fiber Release from Asbestos Fabrics (1975), pp. 3, 7, 10.
  10. USPTO trademark case files (Trademark Full Text XML Data, Annual Applications, 2025 edition) (June 16, 1969). Not yet published in our library.
  11. Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects, Volume Two (1986), p. 96. Not yet published in our library.

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“Novatex (Raybestos-Manhattan).” AsbestosClaims.Law Library. https://asbestosclaims.law/library/products/raybestos-manhattan-novatex.

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