There was a wide range of asbestos products commonly used before government regulation prohibited them from the market. The majority of these included industrial and maritime products, building materials, automotive parts, consumer items and household appliances. Because of the availability and relatively inexpensive cost, thousands of products contained asbestos. The most common examples of products that contained asbestos include the following:
- Asbestos cement sheets
- Pipe products used for water supply and sewage
- Roofing and siding
- Casings for electrical wires
- Fire protection materials
- Electrical switchboards and components
- Residential and industrial building materials
- Friction products including clutch facings, brake linings, gaskets, and industrial friction materials
- Products containing asbestos paper: table pads, heat-protective mats, heat and electrical wire insulation, industrial filters for beverages, and underlying material for sheet flooring
- Asbestos textile products-packing components, roofing materials, heat and fire resistant fabrics including blankets, curtains and ironing board covers
- Hand-held hair dryers
- Asbestos laboratory gloves and pads
- Ceiling and floor tiles
- Paints and caulking
- Coatings
- Adhesives
- Patching tape
- Artificial ashes and embers for use in gas-fired fireplaces
- Plastics and vermiculite-containing consumer garden products
- Some talc containing crayons
- Older small appliances such as toasters, coffee pots, crock pots and irons
Although the use of asbestos is now federally prohibited in small appliance production, there may be hazards to those who collect antiquity items, such as relic coffee makers or other collectables. Because asbestos is forbidden in production in the United States does not mean that other countries abide by those same regulations.