3M Brake Pads and Friction Materials (Volz / 3M Brand)

Product Description

3M Company, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, is recognized globally as a diversified industrial and consumer goods manufacturer. Among its many product lines, 3M produced and distributed brake pads and friction materials marketed under both the 3M brand and the Volz brand name. These friction products were designed for use in automotive, industrial, and heavy-equipment braking systems, where reliable stopping power and heat resistance were primary engineering requirements.

Friction materials represent a specialized category of industrial product in which the physical properties of the braking compound—its ability to withstand extreme heat and pressure without degrading—were historically achieved through the incorporation of mineral fibers. For much of the twentieth century, asbestos was considered the industry-standard reinforcing and heat-resistant fiber for brake linings, clutch facings, and related friction components. 3M’s involvement in this market placed its brake and friction products in widespread use across automotive repair facilities, industrial plants, and manufacturing operations throughout the United States.

The Volz brand, associated with 3M’s friction materials distribution, extended the reach of these products into regional and specialty markets. Brake pads and friction materials bearing these names were distributed through automotive parts suppliers, industrial distributors, and original equipment supply chains, making them accessible to mechanics, maintenance workers, and industrial personnel across multiple sectors.

Asbestos Content

Litigation records document that 3M brake pads and friction materials sold under the Volz and 3M brand names contained asbestos as a component of the friction compound. Plaintiffs alleged that asbestos fibers—most commonly chrysotile, and in some formulations amphibole varieties—were incorporated into the brake lining matrix to provide thermal stability, structural integrity under repeated compression, and resistance to fade during high-heat braking events.

Asbestos was bound within a resin matrix in manufactured friction materials, but the binding was not permanent under service conditions. Plaintiffs alleged that as brake pads wore through normal use, and particularly during machining, grinding, and replacement operations, asbestos fibers were liberated from the friction material in respirable form. Litigation records document that this fiber release was a known characteristic of asbestos-containing friction products and that industry participants, including friction material manufacturers and distributors, possessed or had access to scientific literature describing the hazard during the decades these products were in commercial use.

The specific asbestos content by weight in individual 3M and Volz friction products varied by formulation and production period. Litigation records indicate that plaintiffs pursued claims based on exposures occurring during the mid-to-late twentieth century, a period during which asbestos-containing friction materials were standard across the industry.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers represent the primary exposure population documented in litigation involving 3M and Volz brake and friction materials. Exposure pathways identified in litigation records follow the recognizable pattern associated with asbestos-containing friction products in service and maintenance environments.

Brake service and replacement operations were a central exposure source. Workers removing worn brake pads or shoes from vehicles or industrial machinery encountered accumulated brake dust in wheel wells, drums, and calipers. Plaintiffs alleged that this dust contained liberated asbestos fibers from the degraded friction material and that blowing out brake assemblies with compressed air—a common practice—aerosolized those fibers into the breathing zone.

Grinding and machining of friction materials generated significant airborne fiber concentrations. Litigation records document that brake linings were frequently ground or beveled to fit specific drum or rotor configurations, and that this machining process produced fine particulate that included respirable asbestos fibers. Workers performing these tasks in shops with limited ventilation faced repeated and sustained exposure.

Handling and cutting of raw friction stock in manufacturing or fabrication settings exposed workers to unbound asbestos fibers before the material was incorporated into a finished product. Plaintiffs alleged that workers involved in receiving, cutting, and preparing friction materials worked in environments where airborne fiber levels could be elevated.

Bystander and secondary exposure affected workers in proximity to brake service operations—including general shop workers, parts handlers, and supervisors—who were present in enclosed spaces where brake dust was disturbed without themselves performing the primary task.

Across these exposure scenarios, litigation records document that adequate respiratory protection and engineering controls—such as enclosed wet-cleaning systems for brake assemblies or local exhaust ventilation at grinding stations—were not consistently provided to workers during the primary period of exposure. Plaintiffs alleged that 3M and associated distributors failed to warn workers and employers of the asbestos hazard present in these friction products.

Documented Product Identification

The following details are drawn from public asbestos litigation records, manufacturer catalog pages, technical manuals, and corporate history materials. Each item reflects the product as documented in those sources.

Documented asbestos-use period: 1935-1987

Corporate context: Originally known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, also operated under the name Irvington.

Brand identification: Also known as Irvington; product lines include Centerlite, Stamark, Tartan, Matina, and Sunset Resins brands

Documented asbestos components: insulation, gaskets, cloth, paper, adhesives, sealers, caulking, undercoating, laminate, paint, surfacing, resin, liner, powder.

Documented asbestos-component suppliers: the public records lists the following external suppliers of asbestos-bearing packing, gaskets, and seals used in conjunction with this manufacturer’s equipment — UCC (Union Carbide Corporation), Cassair, JM (Johns-Manville).

Industries served: Drywall installation, Refinery operations, Office equipment (copy machines), Photography equipment, Automotive, Pavement/road construction, Track and field facilities, Aircraft, Marine/boat repair, Agriculture (grain bins), Electrical equipment.

Documented product lines:

  • #8710 Mask (1972-1986). White paper felt respirator mask with two yellow straps and metal nose piece
  • #8500 Mask (1967-Present). White paper felt respirator mask with single blue strap and metal nose piece
  • ASB boards (Pre-1976). Insulating material used in copy machines — asbestos components: insulation.
  • ASB Sheet Insulation #36. J-M Marinite sheet insulation used in camera plate processor machines — asbestos components: insulation.
  • ASB Sandpaper (1971). Sandpaper containing 0.24% to 0.34% asbestos — asbestos components: sandpaper.
  • ASB Oil base caulking compound (1935-1986). Oil-based caulking compound — asbestos components: caulking.
  • ASB Sticky Tar Caulk-like composition (1935-1940). Tar-based caulk-like material — asbestos components: caulking.
  • ASB Laminated sheets (1955-1964). Laminated sheet material — asbestos components: laminate.

3M manufactured a wide range of asbestos-containing products from 1935-1987 including adhesives, sealers, pavement materials, and industrial coatings with asbestos content ranging from 0.01% to 17.2%. Asbestos was supplied by UCC, Cassair, and Johns-Manville.