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When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
41–50 of 104 posts
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#42Build on this even in 1942, just prior to the discovery of the link to Mesothelioma, we were busily figuring out every use case we could for asbestos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC8L8ooBSgQ&t=1m8s Despite the recognition of Mesothelioma in the early 1900s it took almost 40 years to associate the disease with Asbestos. My understanding is that this was due to the 10 - 40 year average post exposure timeline for Me…
>> If Asbestos was discovered today... I don't think it would. Asbestos is a totally natural product. It would probably bypass many of our testing standards.
I would disagree. We have a lot more information about the hazards of inhaling fine particles. When I worked in a lab, we were clearly made aware of the need for protection against fine silica (sand).
We may not be aware of the mesothelioma risk, but I would imagine we’d be aware of the hazard of inhaling asbestos particles and avoid exposure.
Remember, having asbestos in your home is not a risk as long as it’s encapsulated. It’s really the mining and manipulation of asbestos that’s the risk.
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#43Build on this even in 1942, just prior to the discovery of the link to Mesothelioma, we were busily figuring out every use case we could for asbestos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC8L8ooBSgQ&t=1m8s Despite the recognition of Mesothelioma in the early 1900s it took almost 40 years to associate the disease with Asbestos. My understanding is that this was due to the 10 - 40 year average post exposure timeline for Me…
At least we think about it. The miracle material, graphene, has properties that could potentially cause problems when breathed in [0]. So at least we know what to look for and can mitigate. That said, who knows what other material might come about that causes problems 40 years later in a different way. We will learn when it comes but at least we’re starting to be more aware of potential problems. [0] https://www.mate…
Somewhat related: carbon nanotubes have been shown to cause mesothelioma, just like asbestos
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#44I've heard this Charlemagne legend before but I'd love to see somebody put it to the test. I'm thinking the tablecloth would come out of the fire soiled with ash and bits of charcoal. I suppose it might still impress his guests but I don't think this party trick would work quite as well as the legend suggests. Also, 'Salamander Cotton' is a delightful name for asbestos.
In the early 20th century there were similar demonstrations done by asbestos manufacturers, and at least some of those were recorded on film. Fire resistance was basically the main selling point of asbestos, so they certainly marketed that heavily. I recall watching a video on YouTube of one long ago, but can't find it at the moment.
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#45Build on this even in 1942, just prior to the discovery of the link to Mesothelioma, we were busily figuring out every use case we could for asbestos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC8L8ooBSgQ&t=1m8s Despite the recognition of Mesothelioma in the early 1900s it took almost 40 years to associate the disease with Asbestos. My understanding is that this was due to the 10 - 40 year average post exposure timeline for Me…
If asbestos was discovered today we'd likely use the hell out of it because we'd know it causes cancer ahead of time and we'd take precautions (like not building it into things likely to release dust) the same way we do with all sorts of crazy molecules that get used in modern chemicals. It would be in your Ove Glove, not in your floor tiles. Tons of people wouldn't get cancer (because we wouldn't release the dust everywhere) and it would never be able to become a BadThing(TM) in the public's mind. It would just be another boring industrial compound nobody knows about. Same goes for lead paint.
If any of the people who disagree would like to share why that would be great.
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#46Asbestos is amazing and has undoubtedly saved many lives.
But thanks to technology we can do even better, we don't live like Kings, we live better than Kings. (Those of us in the 1%, aka West)
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#47is asbestos really that bad? or is it the long term affects. if charlemagne just used it a show off thing in the diner would it have really mattered?
>is asbestos really that bad?
Yes and no.
There's a lot of other nastier industrial products. Asbestos is in the public consciousness as particularly bad because it was used widely before we know it reliably caused cancer.
That said, it also reliably gives people cancer so it's bad reputation is not exactly undeserved.
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#48Build on this even in 1942, just prior to the discovery of the link to Mesothelioma, we were busily figuring out every use case we could for asbestos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC8L8ooBSgQ&t=1m8s Despite the recognition of Mesothelioma in the early 1900s it took almost 40 years to associate the disease with Asbestos. My understanding is that this was due to the 10 - 40 year average post exposure timeline for Me…
>> If Asbestos was discovered today... I don't think it would. Asbestos is a totally natural product. It would probably bypass many of our testing standards.
It would get tagged as an inhalation hazard almost immediately.
We understand silicosis much better than we used to.
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#49For a short backstory on Wittenoom, an former asbestos mining town in remote Western Australia see this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3LDoI7H1Gc
I once worked with an environmental engineer who had a grandfather that worked at Wittenoom. He passed away due to mesothelioma, but her father who grew up there has not been affected, which is quite amazing given the circumstances. I have seen footage from Wittenoom of children playing in mounds of asbestos.
Today there are two general types of legacy asbestos products, friable and non-friable. Generally non-friable products such as asbestos-cement sheeting are considered safe to leave in place and are only dangerous when cut, broken or otherwise damaged. Friable products such as pipe lagging are very dangerous as they easily break down into fibers that can be inhaled.
It can be found in many old homes in odd places. I was removing some old putty around a window and a friend of mine who was an asbestos hygienist suggested that it could contain asbestos and took a sample for testing (all clear thankfully).
In another instance I worked on a demolition of a 1960's era multistory apartment complex. During construction of the concrete core walls the builder had used asbestos in the formwork, leaving some embedded in the wall at regular intervals. This meant that all of demolition waste was considered contaminated and was going to a special dump at a huge cost.
Finally, there was an infamous case in Canberra, Australia where a company called Mr Fluffy [1] installed loose friable asbestos as insulation in homes. A cleanup program in the 90's did not adequately fix the problem and so in 2014 the government finally purchased affected properties and demolished the houses.
Asbestos is bad stuff, but exposure causing mesothelioma seems to be a bit like Russian roulette. You might get it, you might not. But if you do, you will die.
Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King
#50Franklin's asbestos purse can be seen here: https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/530102/view/benjamin-fran...
You may also enjoy this 1940 book from an asbestos manufacturer: https://archive.org/details/LegendsOfAsbestosBeingAnIllustra...