Asbestos Micarta
Micarta is a common laminate material which is composed of linen or paper impregnated with plastics or resins, and which has a vast number of uses in residential and commercial construction, as well as in the automotive and heavy equipment industries. Micarta is also used to achieve specific decorative effects in the construction of knife handles, guitar fret boards, and pool cues. It’s also frequently sued in the manufacture of circuit boards, found commonly in most electronic equipment today. But it is as an insulating material that micarta is most useful in the construction and automotive industries. By impregnating fibers with heat-resistant resins or other liquid or semi-liquid materials, micarta can be formed into an insulating material which has long been used in wiring and other electrical applications, to prevent heat transfer and reduce or prevent fire hazards.
Asbestos and micarta
Like many materials which at one time relied heavily on asbestos for their manufacture, micarta benefitted for many years by the material’s highly insulative properties. Asbestos is a mineral which is, in structure, a fiber itself. By impregnating existing fibers with the additional fibers of asbestos, manufacturers developed “asbestos micarta.” With high heat resistance and flexibility, asbestos soon became an integral part of micarta, and asbestos micarta was used extensively in residential and commercial electrical installations, as well as in the heavy equipment and automotive industries, which also employ electrical components.
After finally heeding numerous health and safety warnings, the United States banned the manufacture of asbestos-based construction materials in 1977. However, existing supplies were allowed to be used, persisting until well into the next decade. As a result, any building constructed prior to the mid-1980s may contain asbestos micarta in its electrical system.
As in many products which used asbestos, asbestos micarta is not dangerous in its initial, pliable form. But over time, as the material ages and begins to degrade, or if disturbed during renovation or other construction processes, as in the upgrading of electrical service, the asbestos fibers which were once safely embedded within the material can break away and form a fine dust which, when inhaled, can pose serious, life-threatening health risks, including mesothelioma and other cancers.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
