Armstrong World Industries, headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was one of the largest US manufacturers of resilient flooring products — including asbestos-containing vinyl composition tile, vinyl asbestos floor tile, and asbestos-containing sheet flooring — as well as acoustical ceiling tile products for commercial and institutional building applications. Armstrong’s asbestos flooring products were standard commercial building materials used extensively in US Navy shore facility construction, renovation, and maintenance throughout the WWII and Cold War era. Armstrong’s vinyl asbestos tile and vinyl composition tile product lines contained chrysotile asbestos fiber at approximately 20-35% by weight as a reinforcing filler, providing the tile with dimensional stability, durability, and fire resistance. Armstrong filed for bankruptcy reorganization in 2000 in significant part due to accumulated asbestos litigation, and the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Trust was established to compensate claimants.

Asbestos Content and Exposure in Armstrong Products

Armstrong’s asbestos-containing products created exposure during installation and removal:

  • Vinyl asbestos tile cutting — Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tile required cutting to fit at room borders and around obstacles during installation, with tile cutting using a utility knife, tile scorer, or tile cutter releasing asbestos fiber from the tile face and cut edges. Navy Seabee Builders (BU) and Utilitiesmen (UT) installing Armstrong tile in Navy shore facility construction and renovation accumulated asbestos exposure from repeated tile cutting operations across multiple projects
  • Tile removal during renovation — removing Armstrong asbestos floor tile in Navy facility renovation required breaking the adhesive bond between old tile and substrate, with aged and brittle asbestos-containing tile crumbling during removal and releasing asbestos fiber from the tile body. Maintenance workers removing Armstrong tile during Navy facility renovation and upgrade work had significant asbestos exposure from tile removal operations
  • Sheet flooring installation and removal — Armstrong’s asbestos-containing sheet flooring products were cut and installed in similar fashion to asbestos floor tile, with cutting and removal creating asbestos fiber from the sheet flooring body
  • Acoustical ceiling tile — Armstrong acoustical ceiling tile products manufactured in the WWII and Cold War era used asbestos fiber in the tile composition for fire resistance, creating exposure for workers cutting and installing ceiling tile in Navy facility construction and renovation

Armstrong asbestos products appeared throughout Navy shore facility stock:

  • Barracks and enlisted berthing — the barracks and enlisted berthing buildings at naval stations, naval air stations, and training commands used vinyl composition floor tile in berthing areas and common spaces, with Armstrong and competitor products standard in WWII-era and postwar barracks construction
  • Administrative and technical school buildings — the administrative buildings, technical school buildings, and office spaces at Navy commands used Armstrong and competitor asbestos floor tile in corridor, classroom, and office flooring throughout the building stock
  • Medical facility flooring — Navy medical facilities and dispensaries used asbestos resilient floor tile in patient areas and treatment rooms, with Armstrong products appearing in this institutional flooring category

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Armstrong Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from floor tile work at Navy shore facilities. Seabee Builders, Utilitiesmen, and maintenance workers who installed, cut, or removed Armstrong asbestos-containing floor tile or ceiling tile in Navy shore facility applications and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.