Joint Compound and Drywall Dust

Drywall finishers applied joint compound over tape and screw holes in several coats, sanding between each one to create a smooth surface. Compound came as a dry powder that was mixed with water or as a premixed paste. Mixing dry powder released dust even before sanding began. Textured wall and ceiling finishes sometimes used similar materials. Because drywall was installed in homes, offices, schools and commercial buildings, the product was everywhere during the building boom of the mid-twentieth century. Work often took place in enclosed rooms with little ventilation and no dust control.

Drywall finishers had the heaviest exposure, sanding by hand for hours at a time. Carpenters, electricians, painters and plumbers working in the same rooms breathed the dust too. Cleanup crews swept it up, often dry. Homeowners who remodeled older houses sometimes sanded asbestos compound without knowing it. Families could be exposed when workers came home covered in white dust. Because the dust looked like ordinary drywall powder, few people recognized it as hazardous. Many cases involving joint compound come from people who worked in residential or commercial construction. Some also carried the dust home in their vehicles.

Regulators acted against asbestos-containing patching compounds in the late 1970s, and manufacturers phased asbestos out of joint compound around that time, though existing stock was used for a while afterward. Work done before about 1980 is the main focus of claims. Investigators ask which brands workers used, where they bought supplies and what the packaging looked like. Contractors and supply houses may have records. Many joint compound manufacturers have been named in lawsuits, and some have established bankruptcy trusts. Remembering the brand names on buckets or bags can make a meaningful difference.

1. 1

   Write down the brands of joint compound you remember using or seeing on job sites.

2. 2

   Note whether you mixed dry powder or used premixed compound.

3. 3

   List construction companies and projects where drywall finishing took place around you.

4. 4

   Include any home remodeling projects before 1980 that involved sanding walls.