7. Asbestos was common in appliances large and small
The superior heat protection properties of asbestos made it the go to insulating material for nearly all household appliances where shielding from a heat source was required. Water heaters contained asbestos insulation. So did clothes dryers, both gas and electric, ovens and range tops and frequently, insulated counter tops. Furnaces and other heaters, such as electric baseboard heaters and many portable space heaters, were insulated with asbestos. The use of the material led to it being present in some form or another in virtually every room of a house or other type of building, including schools and hospitals, office buildings, stores of all kinds, and virtually any other type of structure. The collapse of the World Trade Center towers, which were built between 1968 and 1973, released more than 1,000 tons of asbestos into Manhattan’s atmosphere in the form of dust.
It was also present in small appliances which utilized a heat source, such as hotplates, electric griddles and skillets, coffee makers and electric tea kettles, toasters and toaster ovens, rotisseries, waffle makers, and slow cookers. Asbestos could be found in hair dryers, heating pads, sterilizers, and in some cases electric blankets and towel warmers. Electric irons used the substances to isolate their handles from the heating element. It was also used as an insulating material in refrigerators and freezers. It has since been replaced with other insulating materials, but in older appliances, especially those found in antique stores and flea markets, it is likely present. In many instances the original marketing materials and advertising boasted of its use as a sign of superior quality.