Short Answer: Asbestos fire blankets are not safe and should not be used.

Fire Blankets are used to extinguish fires and protect people from burns. For many years, they were made of asbestos, a group of rocks that are fireproof but can be woven into cloth like fire blankets. 

The health dangers of asbestos fire blankets

Fire blankets have been in circulation in the United States since the 1950s when inventor Bill Bridgeman came up with an idea to develop an infant safety blanket that would allow a parent to easily cover the infant in case of a fire. It was quickly noted, however, that this concept could be applied to adult-sized options and a multi-use blanket entered the market.

Fire blankets have two main purposes: 

  • Fire blankets are used to extinguish fires
  • Fire blankets are wrapped around people to protect them from burns

Firefighters and the general public alike have found these to be useful to have on hand. In the case of an accident in the home, families have stored fire blankets alongside foam extinguishers to pull out if needed. They are also commonly used on jobsites where there is a possibility that a fire will start and/or get out of control.





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If you may have been exposed to asbestos, speak with your healthcare provider about tests and screening to help detect the presence of asbestos fibers and asbestos-related damage.

How do fire blankets work?

Fire blankets arrest the flow of oxygen to prevent flames from spreading.

Firefighters, families and those on the job can not only throw blankets over the fires themselves but also cover and protect anyone who may come into contact with the flames or heat.

These days, it’s easy to buy a fire extinguisher at any hardware store, and get a discount on your home or renter’s insurance.

And in fact, chemical fire extinguishers had actually been around and patented since the 1800s.

Emergency sprinklers were developed by the early 1900s. But in those days they were expensive, and most households couldn’t possibly afford that.

So fire blankets were pitched as a firefighting system that everyone could afford at home. And then meant it had to be readily available near the places that fires might start, like the kitchen. It also had to be out of the way, and not easily removed, in order to ensure that once installed, it’d be there when you need it.

So Mr. Bishop’s patent is pitched as accomplishing those goals – the blanket can be hung up near potential fire hazards, high up and out of the way, and the hook is designed to need considerable force to remove the blanket – the early version of “In Case of Fire, Break Glass”.

Fire blankets can be useful to extinguish developing fires.

It is important to note that fire blankets are typically only successful when a blaze is caught at its inception. Once a fire begins to spread, it will rapidly become too large for a blanket to do much good. If a pan catches fire on a stovetop, a blanket might be all one needs to take care of the problem, but a full-room inferno isn’t going to be put out in the same way.

Are Fire Blankets with Asbestos Safe to Use?  

Again, the short answer is “no.” Asbestos has historically been used in fire blankets because of its fireproof qualities, but the U.S. banned asbestos-ladened blankets years ago, and anyone owning one is at risk of inhaling its tiny fibers and developing a life-threatening illness.

We mentioned earlier that fire blankets have two purposes:

The first is to stamp out fires, but the second is to wrap around people and protect them from fire. This includes welders and other workers who are regularly exposed to fire and molten products that can easily splatter and spread.

Enter asbestos cloth. For years, asbestos was used in the walls of buildings as a fireproof insulator. It was revered for its ability to withstand high heat while keeping a building at room temperature. It was also used in many other items around the home, inside and out.

Asbestos fibers are one of the most fire resistant materials known to humans, so making asbestos fire blankets was kind of a no brainer. It would have been the go-to resource to accomplish the purpose of the product.

The initial concept was actually to wrap around a baby trapped inside a burning building for carrying it out. Knowing what we know about asbestos now – that it can cause breathing diseases and cancer decades after exposure – this may seem questionable.

Using asbestos as a fire retardant is anything but new. 

Ancient civilizations regarded it as ‘mystical’ and ‘magical’ because of its ability to be fire-resistant. Some 2,000 years ago, napkins were developed that could be cleaned by throwing them into a fire. And asbestos was woven into tapestries, tablecloths, clothing, purses, and other items because of its durability. Not only were these products fireproof, but they would often last for many years. Therefore, any fabric made with asbestos was viewed as high quality and was sought-after. 

Without the modern technology available today, there was no way these civilizations could have known that they were risking their lives by wearing and using these items. Many people likely died without anyone realizing their deaths were connected to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is Banned and Alternative Blankets are Made

In 1989, after a long battle with Canada, the U.S.’s largest supplier of asbestos, and the asbestos industry at large, regulators finally made it illegal to use asbestos in U.S. construction projects and in consumer products. Individuals who had been exposed to it, especially those who breathed in airborne particles, were becoming very sick and it was quite obvious asbestos was to blame. 

The asbestos fibers were causing significant lung issues, including emphysema and lung cancer, as well as a whole host of other cancers, including mesothelioma. Those who still had fire blankets lined with asbestos were encouraged to discard them and new options were made to replace the old.

A lot of people were exposed – not just firefighters, but welders, pipefitters, chemistry lab technicians, even many restaurant workers, anyone who worked around potential fires in those days was usually walking past these asbestos fire blanket holders all day.

By the 1950s, asbestos saw competition from fireproof fiberglass in the fire blanket industry, as it did with asbestos insulation. Fiberglass is not without its own set of issues – when glass particles get under the skin they can be very irritating, but it’s better than asbestos.

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Fire blanket manufacturers switch from asbestos to fiberglass

Like in building insulation, fiberglass replaced asbestos in fire blankets due to its ability to be heat resistant. While it is not without its own set of issues – when glass particles get under the skin they can be very irritating – fiberglass is by far the safer alternative.

Authorities have warned that asbestos-lined blankets could still be on the market in other countries and there may still be some lying around in homes and on job sites in the U.S. Just because the government chose to regulate the use of asbestos all those years ago doesn’t mean that the supply already out there simply vanished. 

Discarding these blankets has been their owners’ sole responsibility and there hasn’t been much policing on the matter. Moreover, discarding them improperly means that the blankets could still pose a risk to the public.

Asbestos fire blankets are still around and should be avoided.

Anyone who comes into contact with a fire blanket containing asbestos should have an abatement professional dispose of it. This way not only is the owner protected from further exposure but there will be less risk that others will be exposed.

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

And if you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being. 

All without filing a lawsuit.
If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.

Bennetts, I.D. & Hunter, C. & Fabiny, Malcolm & Fazio, E.. (2013). A study of the effect of fire on asbestos cement roofing. Journal of health, safety and environment, 29(3). Retrieved 26 July 22 from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298642882_A_study_of_the_effect_of_fire_on_asbestos_cement_roofing.