Health Aspects of Glass Fiber Products Used in the Automotive Industry

Glass fibers have found widespread application in the automotive industry from soundproofing to insulations to reinforcements used in composite body parts. Recent concerns have been raised regarding potential health effects associated with the use of glass fiber products. This paper will review briefly the extensive research conducted over the last fifty years regarding the safety of glass fibers. It presents data on fiber exposures during the use and fabrication of glass fiber containing products, discusses the differences between glass fibers and asbestos, and reviews the results from experimental animal studies, and studies of workers who manufacture glass fibers.