Custodians and building maintenance workers were exposed to asbestos through the boiler rooms, tunnels, and floors they maintained in schools, hospitals, offices, and public buildings. Boiler and pipe insulation, floor tile, and insulating and furnace cements were allegedly made with asbestos, and the daily work of keeping a building running disturbed all of it.

How Custodians Were Exposed

Custodians spent their days where the asbestos was. Repairing and re-wrapping insulation on boilers, pipes, and valves in the basement mechanical rooms broke up asbestos lagging and cement; stripping, buffing, and re-waxing floor tile ground fiber out of the tile and mastic; and mixing insulating and furnace cement to patch a boiler released dust. Sweeping up debris left by other trades and working in cramped, poorly ventilated boiler rooms and pipe tunnels concentrated the exposure over long careers.

The Asbestos Materials — and the Products They Came In

Exposure tracked to a handful of material types. Each links to products documented in the AsbestosIndex as allegedly asbestos-containing:

Boiler-room & pipe insulation / lagging — repaired and re-wrapped:

Floor tile — stripped, buffed, and re-waxed:

Boilers & insulating cement — maintained and patched:

Browse the full Pipe Insulation, Floor Tile, and Boilers categories for more.

Take-Home Risk to Families

Like other dusty trades, custodians carried asbestos fibers home on their clothing, skin, and tools — exposing spouses and children who never worked with asbestos. See take-home asbestos exposure.

If you worked as a custodian or building maintenance worker and were diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after exposure to asbestos on the job, you may have a legal claim.

Product references reflect allegations documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation. This information is published by an independent media organization — not a law firm — and is educational only. It does not constitute legal advice or provide legal services.