Transite Corrugated was a heavy-duty asbestos-cement roofing and wall-sheet product manufactured by CertainTeed Corporation and installed on industrial plants, warehouses, agricultural buildings, powerhouses, and utility structures across the United States for much of the twentieth century. Plaintiffs have alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that workers who cut, drilled, nailed, and later disturbed these corrugated panels inhaled respirable asbestos fibers released from the cement matrix.

Product Description

Transite Corrugated was allegedly the corrugated sheet variant of CertainTeed’s broader Transite asbestos-cement line. The panels were formed by combining Portland cement with chrysotile asbestos fiber, then pressed into a repeating wave profile that gave the sheet the mechanical rigidity needed to span purlins on industrial roofs and walls without additional decking.

The corrugated sheet was allegedly marketed for use on:

  • Industrial plant roofing and siding
  • Warehouse and manufacturing building enclosures
  • Powerhouse and boiler-house roofing
  • Chemical plant and refinery buildings where fire resistance was required
  • Agricultural buildings including barns, poultry houses, and equipment sheds
  • Utility substation and switch-house buildings

CertainTeed distributed Transite Corrugated nationally through building-product supply houses and industrial roofing contractors. The material was valued for its non-combustibility, resistance to corrosion and weathering, and long expected service life relative to metal or organic-felt roofing.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs have alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that the following trades encountered respirable asbestos dust from Transite Corrugated sheets during installation and disturbance:

  • Roofers and sheet metal workers who cut corrugated panels to length with abrasive saws, drilled fastener holes for hook bolts and screws, and trimmed edges around penetrations and skylights.
  • Industrial carpenters and construction laborers who handled, stacked, and snapped panels to fit non-standard bays on plant roofs and walls.
  • Maintenance mechanics who replaced cracked or weathered panels on aging industrial roofs, drilling into existing corrugated sheeting and releasing fibers from degraded cement.
  • Demolition workers and abatement contractors who removed corrugated Transite roofing during plant renovations, breaking panels with pry bars and dropping them to grade where the material fractured and released dust.
  • Bystander tradesmen working below open industrial roofs during Transite installation or removal — including pipefitters, electricians, boilermakers, and process operators — who were allegedly exposed to falling dust and debris.

Plaintiffs have alleged that roofers cutting corrugated Transite with high-speed abrasive blades generated visible clouds of gray asbestos-laden dust that settled on clothing, hair, and skin and was inhaled throughout the workday.