Rubber and tire workers were exposed to asbestos through the hot equipment at the heart of a rubber plant. Curing presses, Banbury mixers, and steam-heated rolls all ran at high temperature and were insulated, gasketed, and sealed with materials allegedly made with asbestos — and the maintenance crews who tore that equipment down breathed the released fiber.

How Rubber Workers Were Exposed

Vulcanizing rubber demanded heat and pressure. Tire curing presses clamped platens that were backed with block and fabric insulation to hold cure temperature; Banbury mixers and two-roll mills ran steam-jacketed and asbestos-lagged. Flanges on the steam and process piping were sealed with compressed asbestos sheet gaskets, and valve stems and pump shafts were sealed with asbestos packing. Every press rebuild, gasket change, and re-lag scraped and cut those materials, releasing dust. Asbestos-contaminated talc was also used as a mold-release and anti-tack dusting agent on green rubber, and some workers wore asbestos gloves and aprons at the hot stations.

The Asbestos Materials — and the Products They Came In

Exposure tracked to the insulation, gaskets, packing, and dusting agents around rubber-processing equipment. Each links to products documented in the AsbestosIndex as allegedly asbestos-containing:

Curing-press & mixer insulation — block and fabric insulation and steam jackets on the hot equipment:

Sheet gaskets & compression packing — sealed the steam and process piping flanges, valves, and pumps:

Dusting talc — anti-tack and mold-release powder on green rubber:

Protective textiles — asbestos cloth and garments at the hot stations:

Browse the full Gaskets & Packing and Industrial Talc categories for more.

Take-Home Risk to Families

Rubber-plant dust and talc clung to workers’ clothes and were carried home, exposing spouses and children who never worked in the plant — often through handling the laundry. See take-home asbestos exposure.

If you worked in a rubber or tire plant and were exposed to asbestos curing-press insulation, gaskets, packing, or dusting talc on the job, and you were diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after that exposure, 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.