Flintkote Company Asbestos Roofing Felt and Shingles

Product Description

The Flintkote Company was one of the most prominent manufacturers of building materials in the United States throughout much of the twentieth century. Operating under the Flintkote brand, the company produced a broad range of construction products, including roofing felt and asbestos-containing shingles that were widely distributed across commercial, industrial, and residential construction markets.

Flintkote’s roofing felt and shingles were designed to provide weatherproofing, durability, and fire resistance for both sloped and low-pitch roof systems. The felt products—sold in roll form—were installed as underlayment beneath other roofing materials, while the shingles were manufactured as finished surface products intended to serve as the outer protective layer of a roof assembly. Both product lines were marketed heavily to contractors, building supply distributors, and industrial facilities during the mid-twentieth century, a period when asbestos was widely regarded as an ideal additive for improving the performance characteristics of construction materials.

Flintkote was a vertically integrated manufacturer with production facilities in multiple states. The company’s roofing division represented a significant portion of its business, and Flintkote products were commonly specified in large-scale commercial and industrial construction projects across the country. As a result, these materials appeared in a wide variety of settings, from factories and warehouses to schools and municipal buildings.

The Flintkote Company ultimately faced substantial asbestos liability claims stemming from its decades of manufacturing asbestos-containing products. The company reorganized under federal bankruptcy proceedings, and a dedicated trust was established to compensate individuals harmed by exposure to Flintkote asbestos-containing materials.

Asbestos Content

Flintkote incorporated asbestos fibers into its roofing felt and shingles because asbestos offered properties that aligned well with the demands of roofing applications. Asbestos fibers are naturally resistant to heat, fire, moisture, and chemical degradation—characteristics that made them attractive to manufacturers seeking to improve the longevity and performance of exterior building products.

In roofing felts, asbestos fibers were typically blended into the base mat during manufacturing, creating a reinforced substrate that could be saturated with asphalt or bituminous compounds. The resulting product was more dimensionally stable and fire-resistant than organic fiber felts. In shingle products, asbestos fibers were incorporated into the body of the shingle itself, often in combination with cement or asphalt binders, to produce a rigid, weather-resistant finished product.

The asbestos varieties most commonly used in roofing felt and shingle manufacturing during this era included chrysotile (white asbestos) and, in some product lines, amphibole fibers. The specific fiber content varied by product formulation and production period. Because asbestos was fully integrated into the matrix of these products during manufacturing, the material could not be visually identified without laboratory analysis, and workers handling these products often had no means of knowing that asbestos was present.

How Workers Were Exposed

Asbestos exposure associated with Flintkote roofing felt and shingles occurred at multiple points across the product lifecycle, from manufacturing facilities to active job sites and during renovation and demolition work.

Manufacturing workers at Flintkote production facilities handled raw asbestos fiber and processed it into finished products. Workers in mixing, pressing, cutting, and finishing operations encountered airborne asbestos dust as part of their routine job duties. Industrial workers generally employed at Flintkote plants faced ongoing exposure in environments where asbestos was present throughout the production process.

Installation workers on construction sites, including roofers and their helpers, encountered asbestos when cutting, trimming, nailing, and handling roofing felt and shingles. Cutting shingles to fit roof edges or penetrations, breaking damaged shingles, and rolling out or trimming felt underlayment all had the potential to release asbestos fibers into the breathing zone of workers on the roof and those working in proximity.

Renovation and demolition workers faced significant exposure risks when removing aged Flintkote roofing materials. As roofing felt and shingles age and deteriorate, the binding matrix can break down, releasing fibers more readily. Workers tearing off old roofing—using pry bars, shovels, and manual labor to remove layers of accumulated roofing material—could disturb decades-old asbestos-containing products and generate substantial airborne fiber concentrations. This type of disturbance activity is now regulated under OSHA’s asbestos standards and AHERA guidelines, which require specific work practices and protective measures when disturbing asbestos-containing roofing materials.

Bystander and secondary exposure also occurred among workers in adjacent trades who were present on job sites where Flintkote roofing products were being installed or removed, as well as among family members of workers who may have carried asbestos fibers home on their clothing.

The diseases most commonly associated with occupational asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related pleural conditions. These diseases typically have latency periods of ten to fifty years between initial exposure and diagnosis, meaning that workers exposed to Flintkote products during the peak decades of use may only now be receiving diagnoses.

The Flintkote Company Asbestos PI Trust was established through Flintkote’s chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization to provide compensation to individuals who were harmed by exposure to asbestos-containing products manufactured by the Flintkote Company. The trust operates under a Trust Distribution Procedure (TDP) that governs eligibility, claim categories, and payment structures.

Who May Be Eligible to File

Individuals who were exposed to Flintkote asbestos roofing felt, shingles, or other Flintkote asbestos-containing products and who subsequently developed an asbestos-related disease may be eligible to submit a claim to the Flintkote Company Asbestos PI Trust. Claims may also be filed by the surviving family members or legal representatives of deceased individuals who suffered asbestos-related illness caused by Flintkote product exposure.

Claim Categories

The Flintkote Company Asbestos PI Trust recognizes claims across the principal disease categories used in asbestos trust administration, including:

  • Mesothelioma — the most serious asbestos-caused malignancy, typically receiving priority processing
  • Lung Cancer — claims based on a diagnosis of lung cancer in combination with documented asbestos exposure
  • Other Cancer — certain asbestos-associated cancers recognized under the trust’s TDP
  • Severe Asbestosis — claims based on clinically confirmed, advanced asbestosis
  • Asbestosis and Other Non-Malignant Conditions — claims for documented non-malignant asbestos-related disease

Filing Considerations

Claimants must demonstrate exposure to a Flintkote asbestos-containing product, provide a qualifying medical diagnosis, and satisfy any applicable exposure documentation requirements under the trust’s TDP. Asbestos trust claims are separate from and may be filed independently of tort litigation, though an attorney experienced in asbestos trust fund claims can help claimants navigate eligibility requirements, gather appropriate documentation, and understand how filing with the Flintkote trust may interact with claims filed against other responsible parties.

Individuals who worked in industrial settings, on construction job sites, or in renovation and demolition capacities where Flintkote roofing felt or shingles were present should consult with qualified legal counsel to evaluate their eligibility for compensation through the Flintkote Company Asbestos PI Trust.