Sheetrock®
Sheetrock® is a trademark product of the United States Gypsum Company, which has been manufacturing building products since 1901. The generic name for sheetrock is drywall, but over the years, the word "sheetrock" has become synonymous with "drywall." Drywall is used extensively in the building of homes and commercial structures, and the U.S. is the largest consumer of drywall products in the world.
Drywall is a paper liner wrapped around an inner core made primarily from gypsum plaster, a semi-hydrous form of calcium sulphate. It's often about a half inch thick, though it can be slightly thinner or thicker, and comes in sheets of various sizes, depending on the task at hand. Sheetrock and other drywalls, depending of their width and other particulars, also provide some fire resistance.
Sheetrock and Asbestos
In order to strengthen certain types of sheetrock, US Gypsum and other drywall manufacturers used small amounts of asbestos in the drywall that they manufactured prior to the 1980s. The asbestos served a few different purposes: it made the sheetrock stronger and it added to the fire resistant properties of the drywall.
Because sheetrock must usually be cut to fit properly, asbestos in drywall became a real hazard to those who installed the material. Any cutting, drilling, sanding, or grinding of sheetrock caused asbestos particles and dust to be released and then circulated through the air. Since few drywallers knew of the dangers of asbestos exposure, most did not wear protective gear when installing the material.
Equally as hazardous as the sheetrock, however, was the products that were used with it, such as joint compound and drywall tape, all of which contained asbestos. Similarly, when these were ripped, cut, or sanded, they also released fibers.
Though sheetrock in the United States is no longer made with asbestos, some drywall products manufactured in other countries, like Mexico, still contain trace amounts of the toxic mineral. Anyone purchasing drywall should always verify that it is made in the U.S.
Construction industry employees who work on old homes or buildings where asbestos might be present in the sheetrock should be especially diligent about exposure and should always wear protective gear, including a respirator of face mask, when working with drywall, drywall tape, or joint compound.
