Asbestos Fire Blanket

Asbestos fire blankets are woven sheets of asbestos cloth, typically chrysotile, designed to be thrown over small fires to smother them by cutting off the oxygen supply. They were standard fire safety equipment in school science laboratories, industrial kitchens, welding and metal-working shops, and domestic kitchens from the 1920s through the mid-1980s. Some were also used as personal protective wraps for workers exposed to flames or radiant heat.

Asbestos fire blankets were manufactured from 100 % woven asbestos yarn, sometimes treated with silicone or other coatings to improve handling properties. They were typically supplied in a wall-mounted container for rapid deployment. The blankets ranged in size from small kitchen blankets (approximately 1 m x 1 m) to large industrial blankets (up to 2 m x 2 m or larger).

The material is classified as friable. Woven asbestos cloth releases fibres when handled, folded, shaken out, or deployed. Repeated use, washing, or storage in folded condition causes abrasion at fold lines, generating loose fibres. Even a blanket that has never been used but has been stored for decades may have degraded sufficiently to release fibres when unfolded.

Asbestos fire blankets are particularly concerning because they are designed to be handled by untrained individuals in emergency situations. The instinct to grab and deploy a fire blanket does not allow for the precautions normally applied to asbestos materials. Furthermore, after deployment on a fire, the heat-damaged blanket releases fibres even more readily.

Modern fire blankets are manufactured from fibreglass, Kevlar (aramid fibre), or treated wool and provide equivalent fire-smothering capability without asbestos risk. Any pre-1985 fire blanket should be presumed to contain asbestos unless the label or manufacturer documentation confirms otherwise. Replacement is straightforward and inexpensive, and the old blanket should be disposed of as asbestos waste.