Roofers were exposed to asbestos through the felt, mastic, cement, and shingles they laid, cut, and tore off roofs for generations. Roofing felt, roof coatings, plastic roof cement, and asbestos-cement shingles were all allegedly made with asbestos, and both installing and removing them released fiber.

How Roofers Were Exposed

Tear-off was the dustiest job — ripping up brittle, aged asbestos felt and shingles sent fiber into the air with every pull. On new work, cutting roofing felt to length, sawing and snapping asbestos-cement shingles to fit hips and valleys, and troweling roof mastic and plastic cement around flashing and penetrations all generated exposure. Hot-mopping over asbestos felt added heat and fumes. Roofers worked outdoors but bent directly over the material, breathing the dust rising off it.

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:

Roofing felt — rolled out, cut, and torn off:

Roof mastic & cement / flashing — troweled around seams and penetrations:

Asbestos shingles — cut, nailed, and stripped:

Browse the full Roofing and Roofing Products categories for more.

Take-Home Risk to Families

Like other dusty trades, roofers 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 roofer 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.