Armstrong Asphalt Tile

Product Description

Armstrong Asphalt Tile was a resilient floor covering manufactured by Armstrong World Industries (formerly Armstrong Cork Company) from approximately 1931 through 1972. Marketed primarily for commercial, industrial, and residential applications, the tile offered a durable, low-cost flooring solution that became widely adopted in schools, hospitals, office buildings, factories, and private homes built or renovated during the mid-twentieth century.

The product was sold in standard nine-inch and twelve-inch square formats and came in a broad range of colors and patterns, making it one of the most recognizable floor tile lines of its era. Armstrong World Industries was among the dominant flooring manufacturers in North America throughout this period, and Armstrong Asphalt Tile was distributed nationally through building supply wholesalers, contractors, and retail hardware outlets.

Production of asbestos-containing asphalt tile at Armstrong ceased by 1972, corresponding with growing regulatory scrutiny of asbestos in building materials. However, because the tile was installed in enormous quantities across decades of construction activity, it remains present in a significant share of older structures in the United States. Buildings constructed or renovated before 1980 may still contain intact or deteriorating Armstrong Asphalt Tile beneath surface flooring layers, carpeting, or adhesive overlays.

Asbestos Content

Armstrong Asphalt Tile contained chrysotile asbestos at concentrations ranging from approximately 25 to 40 percent by weight. Chrysotile, sometimes called “white asbestos,” was the fiber type used most broadly across the flooring industry during this period. In asphalt tile manufacturing, chrysotile served two principal functions: as a binding agent that held the tile matrix together and as a reinforcing fiber that improved the tile’s structural integrity, resistance to cracking, and dimensional stability under temperature fluctuation and foot traffic.

The asbestos fibers were incorporated directly into the asphalt and filler compound during the manufacturing process, resulting in a composite material in which asbestos was thoroughly distributed throughout each tile. This intimate mixture meant that any process capable of breaking, cutting, grinding, or abrading the tile had the potential to release asbestos fibers into the surrounding air.

Under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) and related EPA regulations, asphalt floor tile containing one percent or more asbestos by weight is classified as asbestos-containing material (ACM) subject to inspection, management, and abatement requirements in schools and, under related standards, in many commercial and public buildings. At 25 to 40 percent asbestos content, Armstrong Asphalt Tile substantially exceeds that regulatory threshold.

OSHA’s asbestos standard for construction (29 CFR 1926.1101) designates the removal of resilient floor covering that contains asbestos as a Class II asbestos work activity, requiring specific worker protections, air monitoring, and containment procedures. These regulatory classifications reflect the documented fiber-release potential of this class of product.

How Workers Were Exposed

Multiple trades encountered Armstrong Asphalt Tile during installation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition activities over the product’s decades of production and continued use.

Floor tile installers faced the most direct and sustained exposure during the installation phase. Fitting tile to a room required scoring, snapping, or cutting tiles to size along walls, around obstacles, and at irregular perimeters. Each cutting operation produced airborne dust containing chrysotile fibers. Installers also worked in close proximity to the tile surface for extended periods, mixing and troweling adhesive in spaces where tile dust had already settled.

Building renovation laborers encountered significant exposure when removing existing Armstrong Asphalt Tile as part of renovation or flooring replacement projects. Tile removal techniques historically included chipping, scraping, and grinding — particularly when tiles were bonded firmly to concrete or wood subfloors. These methods are capable of generating substantial concentrations of respirable asbestos fibers. In many renovation scenarios, workers were not informed that the tile contained asbestos and therefore performed removal without respiratory protection or containment.

Demolition workers disturbed Armstrong Asphalt Tile during the full or partial teardown of structures in which it had been installed. Demolition conditions — involving heavy equipment, rapid material removal, and poor dust control — represent among the highest-intensity exposure scenarios associated with asbestos-containing flooring materials.

Custodians and maintenance workers were exposed through routine building activities, including sweeping, buffing, and stripping old or damaged tile. Dry sweeping over cracked or deteriorating tile was a common practice that could mobilize asbestos fibers. Buffing machines applied to worn tile surfaces similarly generated friction capable of releasing fibers into occupied spaces. Custodial workers were often present in the same spaces for years or decades, resulting in cumulative, long-term exposure at lower intensity but extended duration.

Diseases associated with occupational asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related conditions. The latency period between initial exposure and diagnosis typically ranges from 20 to 50 years, meaning workers exposed to Armstrong Asphalt Tile during the product’s production era may be receiving diagnoses today.

Armstrong World Industries filed for bankruptcy reorganization in 2000, in substantial part due to its asbestos liability. As part of that reorganization, the company established the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust to compensate individuals who sustained asbestos-related injuries attributable to Armstrong products, including Armstrong Asphalt Tile.

The trust operates under a Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP) framework that governs claim eligibility, required documentation, and compensation levels across defined disease categories.

Eligible disease categories under the Armstrong World Industries Trust typically include:

  • Mesothelioma — the highest-compensated category, reflecting the severity and strong causal association of this cancer with asbestos exposure
  • Lung cancer — eligible with documented asbestos exposure and relevant occupational or smoking history criteria
  • Asbestosis — eligible with appropriate medical documentation of pulmonary fibrosis consistent with asbestos exposure
  • Other asbestos-related conditions — including pleural disease and related nonmalignant diagnoses, subject to specific evidentiary requirements

Filing eligibility requires claimants to demonstrate exposure to an Armstrong product — specifically Armstrong Asphalt Tile in cases involving this product — along with a qualifying diagnosis and sufficient exposure documentation. Claimants may include directly exposed workers as well as, in some circumstances, secondhand-exposure claimants such as household members of workers who brought asbestos fibers home on clothing or equipment.

Trust claims are filed directly through the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust and are processed according to the trust’s TDP. Claims may proceed through an expedited review process for standard cases or through an individual review process for cases requiring additional evaluation.

Workers or family members who believe they were exposed to Armstrong Asphalt Tile and have received a qualifying asbestos-related diagnosis should consult an attorney experienced in asbestos trust fund claims. Trust filing deadlines and documentation requirements are specific to each trust, and legal counsel can assist in gathering the occupational history, medical records, and product identification evidence required to support a claim.