Excelon Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile by Armstrong World Industries

Armstrong World Industries manufactured Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile as part of its broad line of resilient flooring products sold throughout the mid-twentieth century. Excelon tile was among the most widely distributed vinyl asbestos tiles in the United States, installed in residential homes, commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, and industrial facilities across the country. Because of its durability and low cost, it became a standard flooring choice for decades — and because of its asbestos content, it has since become the subject of significant personal injury litigation and trust fund claims.

Product Description

Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile was a resilient floor covering produced by Armstrong World Industries, one of the dominant manufacturers in the American flooring market during the twentieth century. The product was sold under the Excelon brand name and was marketed for its hardwearing surface, resistance to moisture, and ease of installation. Excelon tile was available in a variety of colors, patterns, and sizes, making it a popular choice for both residential and commercial applications.

Armstrong World Industries, headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, built its flooring business into a nationwide enterprise. Excelon tile was distributed through building supply chains, flooring contractors, and wholesale distributors, placing it in homes, schools, factories, offices, and public buildings throughout the United States and beyond. The product’s widespread use means that Excelon tile remains present in older structures to this day, and disturbance of intact or deteriorating tile continues to present an exposure risk.

Armstrong World Industries ultimately filed for bankruptcy reorganization, in part due to the volume of asbestos-related personal injury claims filed against it. As a result of that reorganization, the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Trust was established to compensate individuals harmed by Armstrong asbestos-containing products, including Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile.

Asbestos Content

Vinyl asbestos floor tiles of the type produced under the Excelon brand were manufactured using asbestos fibers as a reinforcing and binding agent within the vinyl composite matrix. Asbestos was incorporated into this class of tile because it added dimensional stability, resistance to heat and compression, and durability under heavy foot traffic — properties that made the finished product well suited for high-use environments.

The asbestos fibers used in vinyl asbestos tile formulations of this era were typically chrysotile (white asbestos), though product formulations varied over time and by production run. The fibers were bound within the vinyl binder during normal, undisturbed conditions. However, documentation from regulatory proceedings, product testing, and litigation records establishes that the asbestos fibers within vinyl asbestos tile can be released when the tile is cut, broken, sanded, abraded, scraped, or otherwise mechanically disturbed — as occurs routinely during installation, removal, and renovation activities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) regulatory framework identifies vinyl asbestos floor tile as a category of asbestos-containing building material subject to inspection and management requirements in school buildings. OSHA regulations governing construction and general industry work similarly address the hazards associated with disturbing asbestos-containing flooring materials.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers across multiple trades and industries encountered Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile in the course of their normal job duties. Because the product was installed in such a wide range of settings — from factories and industrial plants to offices, schools, and homes — occupational exposure was not limited to any single industry or job classification.

Industrial workers employed in manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and processing plants frequently worked in buildings where Excelon and similar vinyl asbestos tiles were installed as standard flooring. In those settings, industrial workers were exposed through multiple pathways:

  • Installation: Tile installers cut Excelon tile to fit floor dimensions using scoring knives, hand saws, or power cutting tools. Cutting and snapping tile released asbestos-containing dust directly into the breathing zone of the worker performing the task and those working nearby.
  • Adhesive application and fitting: The process of fitting tile tightly against walls, machinery bases, and fixed equipment often required additional trimming and grinding, further disturbing the tile matrix.
  • Removal and renovation: When older tile was removed to allow for building renovation, repair of underlying floors, or replacement with new flooring, workers scraped, pried, and broke tile — activities that are among the highest-exposure tasks associated with asbestos-containing flooring materials. Removal of adhesive (mastic) bonding the tile to the subfloor could also release asbestos-containing material.
  • Maintenance and repair: Workers performing routine maintenance on equipment or building systems in tiled areas could disturb tile through impact or movement of heavy equipment across the floor surface.
  • Bystander exposure: Workers in the vicinity of installation or removal activities — even those not directly handling the tile — could inhale airborne fibers released by the primary work activity.

Litigation records and trust fund claim documentation establish that industrial workers, building maintenance personnel, floor covering installers, and general construction tradespeople were among those occupationally exposed to asbestos fibers from Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile and similar Armstrong products.

Armstrong World Industries reorganized under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, and as part of the confirmed reorganization plan, the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Trust was established. This trust was created to resolve present and future asbestos-related personal injury claims arising from exposure to Armstrong asbestos-containing products, including Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile.

Trust Name: Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Trust

Product Eligibility: Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile is documented as an Armstrong asbestos-containing product within the trust’s claims framework. Claimants who can establish exposure to Excelon tile or other covered Armstrong flooring products are eligible to file claims with the trust.

Typical Claim Categories: The Armstrong Trust evaluates claims across a range of asbestos-related disease categories, including:

  • Mesothelioma — the most severe compensable disease category, associated with the highest claim values
  • Lung cancer — eligible where qualifying asbestos exposure and applicable smoking or exposure history criteria are documented
  • Other cancers — evaluated based on medical and exposure documentation
  • Asbestosis and severe asbestos-related non-malignant disease — qualifying claimants with documented pulmonary impairment may file in this category
  • Other asbestos disease — a category available for claimants with documented asbestos-related conditions that do not meet criteria for higher-tier categories

Filing Eligibility: To file a claim with the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Trust, claimants generally must demonstrate: (1) a qualifying diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease; (2) documented occupational, para-occupational, or other exposure to an Armstrong asbestos-containing product; and (3) compliance with the trust’s procedural requirements, including submission of medical records, work history documentation, and exposure affidavits.

Individuals who were exposed to Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tile in the course of their work or through secondary contact, and who have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos trust fund claims to evaluate their eligibility and initiate the claims process.