Asbestos exposure

[old man emu]

If you are older than a Millenial, then it is likely that you have spent part of your life in a building containing asbestos. Baby Boomers were probably the most exposed to asbestos in domestic settings through living in houses whose outer walls were fibro-asbestos sheets. Who of us Baby Boomers never broke the sheeting of a wall while playing in the backyard?

 

But that was not the only place we were exposed to asbestos. Do you remember experiments in the Science lab? Remember boiling up water in a beaker supported on a tripod over a bunsen burner? Remember the wire gauze pad the beaker was standing on? Remember the burnt white circle of material in the centre of the square of gauze?

 

ABSETOS!

 

So, if you never worked in an environment containing asbestos; and you never played with fibro as a kid, if you develop asbestosis, can you sue your alma mater for damages?

 

OME

 

 

[fly_tornado]

older aircraft are bound to have asbestos brake pads and possibly fuel line flame shields. Anyone that has spent time at a major airport has been exposed to PFAS

 

 

[facthunter]

I've built asbestos houses and worked on big truck drum brakes where you could hardly see for the dust when you blew it off with compressed air. What hope have I got? Nev

 

 

[old man emu]

Bottled air????

 

 

[turboplanner]

I've built asbestos houses and worked on big truck drum brakes where you could hardly see for the dust when you blew it off with compressed air. What hope have I got? Nev

From my circle of contacts; from no hope to 100% hope.

My father in law used to have asbestos fights and never had a problem, others sniff one fibre and it's all over.

 

Investing in a specialist to move any is a good investment.

 

 

[M61A1]

older aircraft are bound to have asbestos brake pads and possibly fuel line flame shields. Anyone that has spent time at a major airport has been exposed to PFAS

A lot of older aircraft used it in gaskets, clamps used in hot areas and some heat shields. on the bright side, most of it is not friable and is often oil soaked, which means you are unlikely to inhale it.

You probably also had exposure to PFAS if you used non-stick cookware, have carpet or used a tent.

 

 

[Yenn]

I worked with it and used to go home looking like Father Christmas. That was in the sixties and no problems so far.

 

 

[APenNameAndThatA]

The exposure from a Bunsen burner and cracking a wall will be too little to worry about. But the dose/risk curve for asbestos and mesothelioma is something that I have wondered about.

 

The current exposure standard is 0.1 fibre per ml of air. Which sounds like a lot. Of course, there is asbestos floating around in all the air. OME will even have collected some on the leading edge of his plane.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

ABSETOS!

Yeah, painful, Missus had one yesterday and ended up at the dentist.

 

My Uncle died of asbestos-is, we cremated him, took 3 days.

 

 

[Geoff_H]

For blue asbestos one fibre in 10 million is just the wrong size and shape that it gets caught in the lungs. Body builds scar tissue around it. Eventually will then give you problems. So it is like winning lotto but losing.

 

In our industry smokers seemed most at risk. In the sixties I played with the stuff. Nice soft stuff in bulk. We used it for pilp insulation. Experts these days tell me that it could turn very serious at any time in the rest of my life. I may have actually missed a bad fibre. They get me to get a chest x Ray every two years. Wife reckons only the good die young so I will live for ever

 

 

[Toady]

I've built asbestos houses and worked on big truck drum brakes where you could hardly see for the dust when you blew it off with compressed air. What hope have I got? Nev

[old man emu]

Bex,

 

This is for you.

 

 

 

[APenNameAndThatA]

The Romans knew it killed you. They had their slaves mining it wear pig skin masks so they lived longer.

 

In the 1900’s the insurance industry knew it was a problem (I might be wrong).

 

The fibers of fiberglass are very similarly sized to those of asbestos. People knew that when fiberglass was coming in and asbestos was going out, but no one knew the long term effect of fiberglass.

 

 

[turboplanner]

The Romans knew it killed you. They had their slaves mining it wear pig skin masks so they lived longer.In the 1900’s the insurance industry knew it was a problem (I might be wrong).

 

The fibers of fiberglass are very similarly sized to those of asbestos. People knew that when fiberglass was coming in and asbestos was going out, but no one knew the long term effect of fiberglass.

Has there been any long term effects from fibreglass?

The fibres are not microscopic.

 

 

[biggles]

My employer used to employ Laggers to insulate high temperature steam pipes. They used to lay back amongst it and eat their lunch . All died at a very young age...... Bob

 

 

[Yenn]

Fibreglass I am told is not small enough to get into our alveoli. I know it is small enough to get into the pores of my skin and irritate like hell.

 

 

[old man emu]

Carbon fibre is supposed to be the new killer micro-particle .

 

 

[M61A1]

Carbon fibre is supposed to be the new killer micro-particle .

Are there new studies? Generally the carbon fibre is assumed to be too large, but possibly a hazard if it has been burned at high temps (aircraft crash), because it reduces the diameter of the fibre. Last I heard the jury were still out it as there wasn't any evidence it was harmful, but long term effects were not yet known.

 

 

[octave]

I do remember looking into this some years ago. Now I have not looked at the recent evidence but what I read was that asbestos fibres tend to fracture longitudinally, therefore, they become fine enough to cause damage in the lungs. Unlike fibreglass that tends to fracture latitudinally. Not sure of my facts here so happy to be corrected.

 

My grandfather emigrated to Australia around about 1968,4 years after my parents and I did. My grandfather took a job in a facility that laundered overalls from an asbestos mine. After working there for 6 years he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died a pretty miserable death. He was also a smoker as was quite common amongst his peers. As a 13-year-old this made quite an impact on me. His wife, my grandmother, agreed to an autopsy which arrived at the finding that he died from carcinoma of the lung and asbestosis. Not really clear what actually killed him, and by the way an extremely kind an gentle man.

 

Recently I have downsized (because life is TOO SHORT to spend it working all the time). My new place was built in the mid-80s and may contain some asbestos. I recently had a split system aircon installed. The guys who installed it were very good although I did hear them quietly discussing whether the eave soffit lining could be asbestos sheeting. I was disappointed to see the installer pull his tee shirt over his mouth and nose and drill through this material, quite a young guy who later went out the front for a smoke.

 

So often we read about "health and safety gone mad" but we do know what this stuff can do, although my dad worked for a short time in the 70s with asbestos he is now 90 and has many health concerns but none of them are lung related. He simply refuses to die. (if that seems harsh, it is a joke he often makes)

 

 

[jetjr]

What about FRP dust and such from building or odd modification

 

Sanding and grinding would be the worst

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Aluminium dust is poisonous and in WW2 a lot of aircraft factory workers died from it.

 

 

[turboplanner]

What about FRP dust and such from building or odd modificationSanding and grinding would be the worst

It has to be small enough to get into your lungs. Particulate Matter that can do this and cause cancer appears to start at 10 microns which can travel through the air for about 50 km.

 

 

[mechfx]

One of my previous bosses died from Mesothelioma 2 years ago, they think he was exposed to fibrous asbestos as a thickening agent for silicon moulding materials in the late 70's. Healthy to gone in 6 months. I discussed this with some Americans I was working with and they said it used to be common practise for them to rip up asbestos sheet into 2" strips in a table saw, then manually feed the strips into linishers to make dust that was then mixed into a paste to make fire proof logs ... All without masks ... and with all the home renovations over the last 30 years the clock is ticking for all of us... (un)luck of the draw..... everyone needs to Enjoy life every day !

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

What a miserable thread! I've lived in an asbestos mining town, toured the processing plant, breathed the dust, used asbestos flock as a fibreglass filler, sanded it... then years later discovered that top brass knew how dangerous it was all along.

 

 

[Downunder]

Many years working in nickel mines (asbestos is naturally found with nickel ore).

 

So far.....so good......