Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles

Product Description

Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles were a line of resilient vinyl-asbestos and asphalt-composition floor tiles manufactured by the Celotex Corporation under the Carey brand name. Produced from approximately 1930 through 1975, these tiles were widely used in commercial, industrial, and institutional settings across the United States. The product line was marketed as a durable, economical flooring solution suitable for high-traffic environments, including factories, warehouses, schools, hospitals, and office buildings constructed or renovated during the mid-twentieth century.

The Celotex Corporation, which absorbed the Philip Carey Manufacturing Company’s product lines, distributed Carey-branded building materials through a broad network of building supply dealers and industrial contractors. The floor tiles were installed in enormous quantities during the post-World War II construction boom, a period when asbestos-containing flooring products were considered an industry standard. Because of the volume of tile installed during this era, Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles remain present in many older structures that have not undergone abatement.

The tiles were typically manufactured in standard 9-inch by 9-inch squares, though other dimensions were produced for specific applications. Their composition made them resistant to moisture, heavy foot traffic, and industrial wear, which contributed to their widespread adoption across multiple sectors of the construction and manufacturing industries.

Asbestos Content

Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles contained chrysotile asbestos, the most commercially prevalent form of asbestos used in manufactured building products during the twentieth century. Chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, is a serpentine-form fiber that was incorporated into floor tile formulations primarily as a reinforcing and binding agent. Its addition to asphalt and vinyl-asbestos compositions improved the structural integrity of the tile, enhanced flexibility, and increased resistance to cracking under compressive loads.

The chrysotile fibers in asphalt floor tiles of this era were typically mixed into the base material during the manufacturing process, meaning the fibers were distributed throughout the body of each tile rather than applied as a surface coating. This distinguishes them from certain other asbestos-containing products in which fibers were more loosely bound. However, while the fibers in intact tiles may remain relatively contained, the tiles do not remain intact indefinitely. Cutting, sanding, grinding, drilling, or mechanical removal—all common activities in construction and renovation work—can release respirable chrysotile fibers into the ambient air.

Chrysotile asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and is regulated under both OSHA’s Asbestos Standard (29 CFR 1910.1001 for general industry and 29 CFR 1926.1101 for construction) and the EPA’s Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). These regulatory frameworks recognize that no safe threshold of asbestos exposure has been established for carcinogenic risk.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers and tradespeople encountered Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles at multiple points throughout the product’s life cycle, from initial installation through later renovation and demolition. Exposure pathways were largely determined by the specific tasks workers performed and the conditions under which those tasks were carried out.

Installation: Workers who installed asphalt floor tiles during the mid-twentieth century routinely cut tiles to fit irregular spaces, doorways, and floor perimeters. This cutting was typically done with utility knives or mechanical saws, either of which could fracture and abrade the tile material, releasing chrysotile fibers. In poorly ventilated factory floors or commercial spaces, airborne fiber concentrations could accumulate rapidly.

Renovation and Removal: As older buildings were updated or repurposed, floor tiles installed decades earlier were subject to mechanical removal. Scraping, chipping, or power-grinding old asphalt tiles—particularly when tiles had become brittle with age—was among the higher-exposure tasks associated with this product category. Workers performing these tasks without adequate respiratory protection could inhale significant concentrations of chrysotile fibers.

Maintenance and Repair: Factory maintenance workers and custodial staff in facilities where Carey tiles were installed could be exposed over extended periods, particularly when tiles were repeatedly damaged by heavy equipment, forklifts, or industrial machinery and required ongoing patching or spot replacement.

Secondary Exposure: Workers in adjacent trades—pipefitters, electricians, and HVAC technicians—who performed tasks near active tile installation or removal operations may also have inhaled airborne fibers generated by other workers’ activities. This type of bystander or secondary exposure is well-documented in asbestos litigation records.

The latency period for asbestos-related diseases—typically ranging from ten to fifty years between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis—means that workers exposed to Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles during the product’s production years may be receiving diagnoses today. Diseases linked to chrysotile asbestos inhalation include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related conditions.

Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options

No dedicated asbestos trust fund exists for claims related to Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles or the Celotex Corporation’s Carey-brand flooring products. Individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases after exposure to this product must pursue compensation through civil litigation rather than a structured trust fund claims process.

Litigation records document that plaintiffs diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis have brought claims against Celotex Corporation and its successor entities in connection with asbestos-containing building products manufactured under the Carey and Celotex names. Plaintiffs alleged that the Celotex Corporation knew or should have known of the health hazards associated with chrysotile asbestos in its flooring products and failed to adequately warn workers and end-users of those risks.

Litigation records further document that plaintiffs alleged the company continued to manufacture and sell asbestos-containing floor tiles without adequate hazard warnings or recommended safety precautions well into the period when scientific evidence linking asbestos to serious disease was available to manufacturers.

Because Celotex Corporation underwent bankruptcy proceedings, the litigation landscape for claims involving Carey-branded products is complex, and the availability and strategy of legal remedies may depend on factors including the specific diagnosis, the documented timeline of exposure, co-defendant product histories, and the jurisdiction in which a claim is filed.

Industrial workers and their families who believe they were exposed to Carey Asphalt Floor Tiles and have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or a related condition should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation. Relevant documentation that may support a claim includes employment records, work site histories, union records, and any documentation placing a worker in facilities where Carey-brand tiles were installed.

Statutes of limitations for asbestos claims vary by state and typically begin running from the date of diagnosis or the date a claimant reasonably should have known of a connection between their illness and asbestos exposure. Timely legal consultation is important to preserve available remedies.