Carey Fiberock Felt

Product Description

Carey Fiberock Felt was a flooring underlayment product manufactured by the Celotex Corporation and sold during the period from approximately 1960 through 1973. Designed to be installed beneath finished floor coverings, this type of felt sheeting served as a cushioning and leveling layer, helping to smooth subfloor imperfections and provide a stable base for tiles, vinyl sheet goods, and similar floor surfacing materials. Products of this type were used extensively in residential, commercial, and industrial construction throughout the postwar building boom, a period when asbestos-containing materials were standard components of the construction supply chain.

Celotex Corporation was one of the major building materials manufacturers of the mid-twentieth century, producing a broad range of construction products that reached worksites across the United States. The company’s Fiberock Felt line was marketed as a durable, resilient underlayment suitable for a variety of flooring applications. Because it was intended for use in combination with other flooring materials, Carey Fiberock Felt passed through multiple hands before reaching its final installed position, meaning exposure risk extended across the supply and installation chain.

Asbestos Content

Carey Fiberock Felt contained chrysotile asbestos, the most widely used form of asbestos in commercial building products during the mid-twentieth century. Chrysotile, sometimes called “white asbestos,” was incorporated into felt and paper underlayment products because of its fibrous structure, which lent tensile strength and resilience to sheet materials, and because it improved fire resistance, moisture resistance, and dimensional stability under load.

Although chrysotile fibers are sometimes described as less biopersistent than amphibole varieties such as amosite or crocidolite, regulatory agencies and medical literature have consistently classified chrysotile asbestos as a known human carcinogen. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) treat all forms of asbestos as hazardous, and no safe level of occupational exposure to asbestos fibers has been established. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) regulations also do not distinguish between fiber types when requiring identification, management, or abatement of asbestos-containing materials.

In felt underlayment products, chrysotile fibers were typically distributed throughout the material matrix. While the fibers may be bound within intact sheeting, any activity that cut, tore, abraded, sanded, or disturbed the material had the potential to release respirable asbestos fibers into the surrounding air.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers most directly at risk from Carey Fiberock Felt were industrial workers and construction laborers who handled, cut, and installed the product during the years it was in production and distribution. Flooring underlayment felt was generally delivered in rolls and cut to fit the dimensions of a given installation area. Cutting felt with knives, shears, or other tools generated edge debris and fine particulate dust. In enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces—conditions common to basement floors, utility rooms, and industrial facilities—that dust could accumulate and remain airborne for extended periods.

Installation work also required workers to handle the material extensively, spreading adhesives beneath it and trimming it to fit around structural elements such as columns, pipes, and doorframes. Each trimming operation represented an additional opportunity for fiber release. Workers in industrial settings, where floor resurfacing might be conducted during maintenance shutdowns, often worked quickly and without respiratory protection because the hazard of asbestos in these materials was not publicly disclosed by manufacturers during this period.

Secondary exposure was also a documented concern. Supervisors, helpers, and other tradespeople present in the same work area during flooring installation were exposed to airborne fibers released by cutting and fitting operations, even if they were not directly handling the felt. Maintenance workers who later disturbed or removed aging underlayment during renovation or repair work faced similar risks, as deteriorated asbestos-containing felt can release fibers more readily than newly installed material.

At the time Carey Fiberock Felt was manufactured and sold, the hazardous nature of asbestos exposure was known within the asbestos industry, though this information was not consistently communicated to the workers and contractors who used these products. Product labeling during this era typically did not include warnings about asbestos content or the need for respiratory protection, leaving workers without the information they needed to protect themselves.

Carey Fiberock Felt falls under Tier 2 of asbestos product litigation, meaning that claims associated with this product are pursued through the civil court system rather than through an established asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. No Celotex asbestos trust fund currently administers claims specifically tied to Carey Fiberock Felt in the same manner as a dedicated product trust. Individuals seeking compensation for asbestos-related illness linked to this product may pursue claims through litigation.

Litigation records document that plaintiffs have alleged Celotex Corporation and related entities knew or should have known of the hazards associated with asbestos-containing building products, including flooring underlayment materials, and failed to adequately warn workers of those dangers. Plaintiffs alleged that this failure to warn, combined with the continued manufacture and distribution of asbestos-containing products after safer alternatives were available, constituted negligence and contributed to the development of serious asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis.

Litigation records also document claims against distributors, contractors, and other parties in the chain of commerce for asbestos-containing flooring products. Because multiple manufacturers produced similar felt underlayment materials during the same period, plaintiffs and their legal teams typically reconstruct occupational histories in detail to identify all products to which a claimant was exposed and to name all potentially responsible defendants.

Workers, former workers, and family members of individuals who were exposed to Carey Fiberock Felt and have since developed a diagnosed asbestos-related disease are encouraged to consult with an attorney who specializes in asbestos litigation. Statutes of limitations for asbestos claims vary by state and generally begin running from the date of diagnosis rather than the date of exposure, but these deadlines are strictly enforced and prompt consultation is important. Documentation of work history, employer records, co-worker testimony, and product identification evidence all contribute to the strength of a civil claim.

If you or a family member worked with or around Carey Fiberock Felt and have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related condition, legal options may be available regardless of how many years have passed since the exposure occurred.