Carey Asbestos Roofing Felt

Product Description

Carey asbestos roofing felt was a construction and industrial material manufactured by Philip Carey Manufacturing Company, a Cincinnati-based building products manufacturer with a long history in the American construction supply industry. Philip Carey produced a broad line of asbestos-containing building materials throughout much of the twentieth century, and roofing felt represented one of the company’s established product lines marketed to commercial, industrial, and residential construction markets.

Roofing felt served as an underlayment material, applied beneath finished roofing surfaces such as shingles, tiles, or built-up roofing systems. In industrial applications, asbestos-reinforced felt was also used as a component in pipe covering and thermal insulation assemblies, where its resistance to heat, moisture, and mechanical stress made it a preferred specification material. Philip Carey marketed its roofing felt products under the Carey brand, a name that carried strong recognition in building trades and industrial supply channels for decades.

Philip Carey Manufacturing Company was acquired through a series of corporate transactions over the twentieth century, eventually becoming part of Celotex Corporation. Celotex Corporation subsequently faced substantial asbestos liability arising from the full range of Philip Carey’s asbestos-containing products, including Carey asbestos roofing felt. When Celotex could no longer sustain those liabilities in the tort system, it sought bankruptcy protection, and the resulting reorganization established the Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust to compensate individuals harmed by exposure to Philip Carey and Celotex asbestos-containing products.

Asbestos Content

Asbestos was incorporated into roofing felt formulations primarily because of its physical and chemical properties. Chrysotile asbestos fibers—the most commonly used variety in American building products—were blended with organic binders, bituminous materials, and base substrates to produce a felt product that resisted tearing, repelled moisture, and performed reliably at elevated temperatures. Asbestos content in roofing and industrial felt products varied by product specification and era of manufacture, but trust fund documentation and historical product records confirm that Philip Carey’s felt products contained asbestos as a functional component.

In pipe covering applications, asbestos felt was often used in conjunction with other insulating materials, serving as a jacketing or finishing layer over insulation systems on steam lines, boiler connections, and process piping. In this context, the asbestos content of the felt contributed both to the thermal performance of the assembly and to its durability under conditions of repeated heating and cooling cycles.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers represent the primary population documented as having been exposed to Carey asbestos roofing felt. Exposure pathways varied depending on the work being performed and the setting in which the product was used.

Handling and cutting were among the most significant exposure activities. Roofing felt containing asbestos released airborne fibers when workers cut the material to fit, trimmed edges, or tore sheets during installation. Because roofing felt was supplied in large rolls that required significant on-site cutting and fitting, fiber release was a routine feature of normal work rather than an exceptional event.

Application to roofing surfaces created additional exposure, particularly when workers laid felt in close quarters, pressed or fastened material against substrates, or worked in areas where previously cut material created ambient dust conditions. On industrial roofing projects and commercial construction sites, multiple workers could be exposed simultaneously, including those not directly handling the felt.

Pipe covering and insulation work introduced a distinct exposure pattern. When Carey asbestos felt was used as a jacketing component in thermal insulation systems, insulators and pipe coverers handled the material repeatedly throughout installation. Removal or disturbance of existing felt-containing insulation systems during repair, renovation, or demolition created high-intensity short-duration exposures as aged and brittle material was stripped from pipe surfaces and released accumulated fiber burdens.

Adjacent trades in industrial facilities, shipyards, power plants, refineries, and manufacturing facilities were also exposed when roofing or insulation work involving asbestos felt was performed nearby. Maintenance workers, operating engineers, laborers, and other tradespeople working in the same environments could inhale fibers released by primary workers without ever directly touching the product.

Chronic inhalation of asbestos fibers has been causally linked to mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. Latency periods for these diseases commonly extend from twenty to fifty years following initial exposure, meaning that individuals exposed to Carey asbestos roofing felt during peak production and use periods in the mid-twentieth century may only now be receiving diagnoses.

Individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or other asbestos-related conditions following exposure to Carey asbestos roofing felt manufactured by Philip Carey Manufacturing Company may be eligible to file a claim with the Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust.

The Celotex Trust was established through the bankruptcy reorganization of Celotex Corporation, which assumed liability for Philip Carey’s asbestos product line through corporate succession. The Trust maintains documented records of Philip Carey products, including roofing felt, and accepts claims from exposed workers and, in cases of deceased claimants, from eligible family members filing on behalf of an estate.

Claim eligibility through the Celotex Trust generally requires:

  • A diagnosis of a qualifying asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer with documented asbestos exposure, or other recognized asbestos-related conditions
  • Documentation of occupational or other exposure to a Philip Carey or Celotex asbestos-containing product, which may include employment records, union records, Social Security work history, or co-worker affidavits
  • Medical records supporting the diagnosis and, where applicable, pathology reports

Claim categories within the Celotex Trust are tiered according to diagnosis severity, consistent with the trust distribution procedures applicable to most major asbestos settlement trusts. Mesothelioma claims and other severe-disease categories generally receive priority processing and higher scheduled compensation values.

Claimants are not required to have filed prior litigation to be eligible for the Celotex Trust, and filing a trust claim does not necessarily preclude pursuing claims against other responsible parties through additional asbestos trust funds or through the tort system. Because many industrial workers were exposed to asbestos-containing products from multiple manufacturers over the course of their careers, an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation can evaluate the full range of potentially responsible parties and identify all applicable trust funds.

Individuals who believe they were exposed to Carey asbestos roofing felt or other Philip Carey products, and who have received an asbestos-related diagnosis, should consult a qualified asbestos attorney to evaluate their eligibility, gather the necessary documentation, and submit claims in a timely manner consistent with applicable trust deadlines and statutes of limitations.