Electrical Panelboards & Motor-Control Centers — Asbestos Exposure Crosswalk

What This Equipment Is

A panelboard is the wall-mounted enclosure containing branch-circuit breakers serving a portion of a building’s electrical load. A motor-control center (MCC) is the larger floor-mounted equivalent for industrial settings — containing motor starters, drives, and distribution feeders in vertical sections.

Pre-1980 panelboards and MCCs commonly included asbestos millboard barriers between circuit positions, asbestos-cement back-panels, and various asbestos-bearing components in breaker arc chambers (see Electrical Arc Chutes). The product family includes:

  • Panel back insulation — asbestos-cement panel mounted between the live bus and the enclosure back
  • Section barriers — asbestos millboard between breaker positions
  • Breaker arc-quench components — asbestos-containing arc chutes inside the breakers
  • Bus bracing pads — asbestos pressboard insulators between buses and structural supports
  • Gasket seals — door and access-cover gaskets

Why Panelboard / MCC Work Was an Asbestos Exposure Pathway

Electrical maintenance work routinely opens panelboards and MCC sections — for breaker replacement, branch-circuit additions, motor-starter rebuilds, and routine inspection. Each access disturbs accumulated arc-erosion dust and the asbestos-bearing barriers, particularly in legacy gear that has seen years of switching activity.

Modernization projects replace vintage panelboards and MCCs in volume — particularly in hospital, commercial, and industrial facilities upgrading aging electrical infrastructure. Tear-out generates concentrated exposure for the electrical contractors doing the work.

Manufacturers Named in Litigation Involving Panelboard / MCC Components

  • General Electric — panelboard and MCC OEM
  • Westinghouse Electric — panelboard and MCC OEM
  • Square D — panelboard and MCC OEM
  • Cutler-Hammer / Eaton — panelboard and MCC OEM
  • ITE Imperial / Gould — panelboard products
  • Federal Pacific Electric — panelboard products
  • Allis-Chalmers — switchgear / motor controls
  • Johns-Manville — asbestos millboard used in panel construction
  • Armstrong World Industries — electrical-grade asbestos products

Documented Product References

Images sourced from publicly available product-identification reference materials. Inclusion does not constitute a finding of liability against any company.

Trust Funds That May Apply

  • Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust
  • Armstrong World Industries Asbestos PI Settlement Trust

Trades Most Exposed at Panelboard / MCC Work

Industrial plant electricians, commercial electricians, electrical-modernization contractors, motor-control-center maintenance technicians, demolition crews handling vintage electrical equipment.

Jobsites in the Network

Compiled from publicly filed asbestos litigation, EPA / OSHA records on electrical-equipment abatement, and industry-publication histories. Product and company references reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed litigation. This page does not constitute a finding of liability against any company. Not legal advice; consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.