This roofing product was a mixture of asphalt and asbestos fibers. In order to apply it, the workers would usually add different coatings made of sealants and gravel. This increased the asbestos felt’s abilities to sustain extreme weather conditions.
The asbestos felt was safe as long as it was left undisturbed. Its properties made this product almost non-friable, but interacting with it when it required replacing made the poisonous asbestos particles rise into the air. Like all asbestos-containing products, when it was broken apart, the toxicity of the near environment increased exponentially. You could have been exposed if: