Bondex Black Mastic Roof Cement

Product Description

Bondex Black Mastic Roof Cement was a heavy-bodied, asphalt-based roofing sealant manufactured by Bondex International during the period spanning approximately 1969 through 1981. Products of this type were widely used in commercial, industrial, and residential roofing applications, serving as an adhesive and waterproofing compound for flat and low-slope roof systems. Black mastic roof cements were applied to seal joints, seams, and flashings, bond roofing felts and membranes, and fill cracks or gaps in existing roof substrates.

The product was marketed under the Bondex name, sometimes rendered in documentation and litigation records as “Bondek,” a variant spelling that appears in certain purchasing records and product catalogs from the period. Bondex International was a manufacturer known primarily for patching, repair, and building maintenance compounds, and its Black Mastic Roof Cement was positioned as a professional-grade product for industrial and construction trade applications. Like many asphalt-based roofing mastics produced during this era, the formulation incorporated mineral fiber reinforcement to improve tensile strength, resist cracking under thermal cycling, and extend the product’s service life on rooftop surfaces exposed to weathering.

Asbestos Content

Bondex Black Mastic Roof Cement contained chrysotile asbestos as a functional reinforcing agent within its asphalt matrix. Chrysotile, the most commercially prevalent form of asbestos during the twentieth century, was added to mastic-type roofing products for several performance-related reasons. Its fibrous structure improved the product’s resistance to tearing and shrinkage, helped maintain adhesion across irregular or uneven substrates, and contributed to the thick, spreadable consistency that made the mastic easier to apply and more durable once cured.

Asbestos-reinforced roofing mastics were a standard product category throughout much of the mid-twentieth century. Regulatory scrutiny of asbestos in consumer and industrial products increased substantially during the 1970s, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s eventual actions under the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) established frameworks for identifying and managing asbestos-containing materials in the built environment. Bondex Black Mastic Roof Cement, produced through 1981, falls within the period in which chrysotile asbestos was a documented and commercially common component of such formulations.

OSHA’s asbestos standards, developed and refined beginning in the early 1970s, recognized that products releasing respirable asbestos fibers during application, disturbance, or removal posed measurable occupational health hazards. Roofing mastics, including black mastic cements, were among the product categories identified as capable of generating fiber release under typical use conditions.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers and roofing tradespeople who handled Bondex Black Mastic Roof Cement during its years of production were potentially exposed to chrysotile asbestos fibers through several mechanisms associated with normal product use. Litigation records document that plaintiffs who worked with asbestos-containing roofing mastics during this period alleged exposure through direct application activities, disturbance of previously applied materials, and incidental contact during rooftop maintenance and repair work.

Application of black mastic roof cement typically involved troweling, brushing, or spreading the compound across roofing substrates by hand or with tools. Plaintiffs alleged that during these application processes, agitation of the mastic material could release airborne chrysotile fibers, particularly when the product was applied in confined rooftop areas with limited ventilation or when workers operated in close proximity to the material for extended periods.

Litigation records also document allegations that workers engaged in roofing repair and renovation activities were exposed when cutting into, scraping, or removing previously applied mastic materials that had dried or partially cured. Dried or aged asbestos-containing mastics can become friable over time, meaning that physical disturbance during maintenance or tear-off operations may release fiber concentrations at or above OSHA-recognized exposure thresholds. Industrial workers involved in maintenance of commercial and industrial facilities where such products had been applied over the preceding decades faced potential secondary exposures in addition to those experienced during original application.

Plaintiffs alleged that adequate warnings regarding asbestos content and the health risks associated with fiber inhalation were not provided on product labeling or through other communication channels during the years the product was sold. Litigation records document claims that workers were not informed of the need for respiratory protection or other engineering controls that could have reduced their exposure levels.

Asbestos-related diseases associated with chrysotile inhalation include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other pleural conditions. These diseases typically have latency periods of twenty years or more between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis, meaning that workers exposed to Bondex Black Mastic Roof Cement during the 1969–1981 production window may be receiving diagnoses in the present day.

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: 1961-1981

Corporate context: Also known as Reardon, RPM, and Republic Powdered Metals. Warning labels were added to packaging in 1972 or 1973.

Brand identification: Products sold under multiple brand names including Bondex, Reardon’s, Trax, Montgomery Ward, Penncraft, Hi & Dri, NPD, Cook’s Lifeline, Brod Dirgan, F.O. Pierce, and Metro

Documented asbestos components: chrysotile.

Industries served: residential construction, commercial construction, mobile home manufacturing, drywall installation.

Documented product lines:

  • Dramex Interior Finish (1961-1977). Interior texture paint containing 7.3% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Dramax Exterior Finish (1961-1977). Exterior paint containing 7.2% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Water Putty (1961-1977). Interior patching compound containing 6.5% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Handy Patch All Purpose Patcher (1961-1977). Interior patching compound containing 7.5% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • SX Joint Cement (1961-1977). Drywall joint treatment material containing 14.8% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • All Purpose Joint Cement (1961-1977). Drywall joint treatment material containing 5% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Ready-Mixed Joint Cement (1961-1977). Drywall joint treatment material containing 3.8% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Block Filler & Primer (1961-1977). Cite block filler and primer containing 9.1% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.

All Bondex asbestos-containing products used chrysotile asbestos. Products were sold under numerous private label and store brand names through retailers including Montgomery Ward. Sanding of dried joint compounds was a documented application method.