SX Topping Cement

Manufacturer: Bondex
Product Category: Joint Compound
Years Produced: 1961–1977
Asbestos Type: Chrysotile

Product Description

SX Topping Cement was a finishing-grade joint compound manufactured by Bondex during the period spanning 1961 through 1977. As a topping compound, this product was formulated for use in the final stages of drywall finishing work, designed to produce smooth, paintable surfaces by filling seams, covering tape, and feathering joints between gypsum wallboard panels. Topping compounds of this era were distinct from all-purpose or taping-grade compounds in that they were engineered for lighter, thinner applications and prized for their workability and fine texture upon drying.

Bondex was an established manufacturer of construction finishing products throughout the mid-twentieth century, producing a range of patching, bonding, and surface preparation materials for residential, commercial, and industrial construction markets. SX Topping Cement represented one of the company’s offerings within the joint compound category during the period when chrysotile asbestos was widely incorporated into such products as a functional additive.

The use of asbestos-containing joint compounds was common industry practice during the 1960s and 1970s, and regulatory frameworks permitting such formulations remained in place for much of this period. It was not until growing awareness of asbestos-related health hazards — and eventual regulatory action — that manufacturers began reformulating or discontinuing products containing asbestos fibers.

Asbestos Content

SX Topping Cement contained chrysotile asbestos as a component of its dry formulation. Chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, is a serpentine-type mineral fiber that was extensively used in building materials throughout the twentieth century due to its tensile strength, fire resistance, and binding properties. In joint compound formulations, chrysotile asbestos served to improve workability, reduce cracking during the drying process, and add cohesive strength to the finished product.

Litigation records document that SX Topping Cement was identified as an asbestos-containing product in legal proceedings, with plaintiffs alleging that the compound incorporated chrysotile fibers in concentrations sufficient to generate hazardous airborne dust under ordinary conditions of use. The chrysotile fibers present in topping compounds such as this product were bound within the wet or dry compound matrix but were released into the air when the material was mixed, applied, sanded, or otherwise disturbed.

Chrysotile asbestos, while sometimes characterized as the least potent of the asbestos fiber types, is nonetheless classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and has been causally linked to mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other serious diseases following occupational inhalation exposure.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers exposed to SX Topping Cement during its period of production and use — 1961 through 1977 — encountered chrysotile asbestos fibers primarily through the inhalation of airborne dust generated during mixing, application, and surface finishing activities. Industrial workers generally involved in construction, building maintenance, and related trades were among those potentially exposed in environments where the product was used.

The exposure pathway most associated with serious fiber release was the dry sanding of cured joint compound. After a topping coat applied with SX Topping Cement dried on a wall or ceiling surface, workers using sandpaper or sanding blocks to smooth and feather the compound would generate fine airborne dust laden with chrysotile fibers. Unlike larger debris, these microscopic fibers could remain suspended in the air for extended periods and were readily inhaled deep into the lung tissue.

Additional exposure occurred during the dry mixing of the compound, when workers opened bags of powdered product and combined the contents with water. This process could release a concentrated burst of airborne dust before any liquid was added to bind the fibers. Plaintiffs alleged that these mixing conditions, conducted in enclosed or poorly ventilated interior spaces, produced acute short-duration exposures of significant intensity.

Workers sanding, scraping, or otherwise disturbing previously applied SX Topping Cement — for example, during renovation or demolition activities — also faced potential secondary exposure to fibers released from aged and friable compound surfaces.

Litigation records document that during the period this product was on the market, effective respiratory protection was not consistently provided to workers handling asbestos-containing joint compounds, and employers were not always informed by manufacturers of the fiber content or the associated health risks. Plaintiffs alleged that Bondex had access to scientific and medical literature documenting the hazards of chrysotile asbestos inhalation during the years the product was sold, and that adequate warnings were not furnished on product packaging or through other channels.

The latency period characteristic of asbestos-related diseases — which may span ten to fifty years between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis — means that individuals exposed to SX Topping Cement during the 1960s and 1970s may still be developing related conditions today.

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.