Rexalt Roof Coating

Product Description

Rexalt Roof Coating was a commercial and industrial roofing product manufactured by The Flintkote Company between approximately 1950 and 1981. Designed as a protective surface coating for flat and low-slope roofing systems, Rexalt was marketed primarily to industrial and commercial construction markets where durable, weather-resistant roof protection was a priority. The product was applied as a liquid or semi-liquid coating over existing roofing substrates, forming a protective membrane intended to resist moisture infiltration, thermal stress, and the general weathering effects common to large industrial roof installations.

The Flintkote Company was a major building materials manufacturer headquartered in New York with production and distribution operations across the United States. Throughout much of the twentieth century, Flintkote produced a broad range of construction products, including roofing materials, flooring products, and industrial coatings. Rexalt Roof Coating represented one segment of the company’s roofing product line during a period when asbestos-containing materials were standard across the building products industry.

Production of Rexalt Roof Coating continued through 1981, a period during which regulatory scrutiny of asbestos in building materials was intensifying. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), enacted in 1986, and earlier OSHA standards issued in the 1970s established formal frameworks for identifying and managing asbestos-containing materials in occupational and building environments, but these measures came after decades of widespread industrial use of the product.

Asbestos Content

Rexalt Roof Coating contained chrysotile asbestos as a functional component of its formulation. Chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, is the most commonly used variety of asbestos in commercial building products and is classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and recognized under OSHA’s asbestos standards as a regulated hazardous substance.

In roofing coatings of this type and era, chrysotile fibers were incorporated to enhance the mechanical performance of the coating material. Asbestos fibers provided tensile reinforcement within the coating matrix, improved resistance to cracking and thermal expansion, and contributed to the overall durability and fire-resistance characteristics of the finished surface. These properties made asbestos-containing coatings attractive to building product manufacturers throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Although chrysotile fibers are sometimes described as less acutely hazardous than amphibole asbestos varieties such as amosite or crocidolite, chrysotile remains firmly classified as a carcinogen under current scientific and regulatory consensus. OSHA’s asbestos standards apply to chrysotile-containing products without exemption, and chrysotile exposure has been associated in occupational health literature with mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, particularly following prolonged or high-intensity exposures.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers represent the primary occupational group documented in connection with exposure to Rexalt Roof Coating during its production years. Exposure pathways were associated with the handling, mixing, application, and maintenance of the coating product in industrial roofing environments.

During application, workers mixed and spread the coating using brushes, rollers, or spray equipment over large industrial roof surfaces. These tasks could disturb the product in ways that released chrysotile fibers into the breathing zone. Spray application methods, in particular, were capable of aerosolizing the coating material and producing airborne fiber concentrations in the work area. Workers applying coating to large surface areas over extended periods faced cumulative inhalation exposure without the benefit of adequate respiratory protection, which was often unavailable or not required under prevailing workplace standards of the time.

Maintenance and repair activities on roofs that had previously been treated with Rexalt Roof Coating also created exposure risks. When coated roofing surfaces were abraded, scraped, cut, or disturbed during reroofing or repair work, previously stabilized asbestos fibers could be released. Industrial facilities that used the product on large commercial and warehouse roofs created environments where multiple workers over successive years could encounter the deteriorating or disturbed coating material.

Contemporaneous OSHA standards, beginning with the initial asbestos regulations promulgated in 1971 and revised in subsequent years, established permissible exposure limits for airborne asbestos fibers. However, compliance with these standards was not uniform across industrial workplaces during the 1950s through 1970s, and many workers applied or worked near asbestos-containing coatings without respiratory protection or exposure monitoring.

Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options

No asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been established specifically for Rexalt Roof Coating claims. The Flintkote Company’s asbestos liability history has been addressed through litigation rather than through a comprehensive pre-packaged trust fund structure covering all product categories.

Litigation records document claims filed against Flintkote in connection with asbestos-containing products manufactured and sold by the company. Plaintiffs alleged that The Flintkote Company knew or should have known of the hazards associated with chrysotile asbestos in its roofing and building products, and that the company failed to adequately warn workers and end users of those hazards during the decades when Rexalt Roof Coating was manufactured and distributed.

Plaintiffs alleged that exposure to asbestos fibers released from Rexalt Roof Coating during application and maintenance activities caused serious and life-threatening diseases, including malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Litigation records document claims brought by industrial workers and, in wrongful death actions, by the surviving family members of workers who were exposed during their employment.

Individuals who were exposed to Rexalt Roof Coating and have subsequently been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation. Key documentation that may support a claim includes employment records identifying worksites and job titles, union records or contractor documentation, product identification records showing the use of Rexalt Roof Coating at specific locations, and medical records establishing an asbestos-related diagnosis.

Because Rexalt Roof Coating was produced through 1981 and used in industrial settings across multiple states, potential claimants may also have exposure histories involving other asbestos-containing products used concurrently at the same worksites. An experienced asbestos attorney can evaluate the full scope of exposure history to identify all potentially responsible parties and applicable legal remedies, including claims against other manufacturers’ trust funds where secondary exposures are documented.

Statutes of limitations for asbestos-related claims vary by state and typically begin running from the date of diagnosis rather than the date of exposure. Individuals with a recent diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis who have a history of roofing or industrial work should seek legal consultation promptly to preserve their rights.