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When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King

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Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King

#81

Post by dan_quixote »

sandworm101 wrote: post #15
aresant wrote: post #6

Build 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.

Disagree. Silica and many types of wood are severe irritants to our respiratory system and also natural.

I think nearly anything that leaves noticeable particulate in the air would get scrutiny, especially if newly discovered.

Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King

#83

Post by jhoechtl »

shawnz wrote: post #43
skellera wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

That sounds amazing and seems like a huge set-back to certain envisioned application areas of carbon nanotubes. Do you have a link to a study?

Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King

#86

Post by nikanj »

userbinator wrote: post #72
shadowprofile77 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I know and was also told by several doctors when a family member was dying of mesothelioma in his early 70's (despite never having worked more than casually a few times around asbestos in his much younger years), the illness is strongly suspected of being tied to a genetic predisposition that only affects a certain small percentage of people. If one has this genetic disposition, it's apparently possible tha…

Smoking also greatly increases the chances: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3749214/

Now to find the construction worker in the 1970s who did not smoke

Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King

#87

Post by growlist »

meowface wrote: post #78
shadowprofile77 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I know and was also told by several doctors when a family member was dying of mesothelioma in his early 70's (despite never having worked more than casually a few times around asbestos in his much younger years), the illness is strongly suspected of being tied to a genetic predisposition that only affects a certain small percentage of people. If one has this genetic disposition, it's apparently possible tha…

What is the mechanism of action there? Do some people's lungs gradually clear away the asbestos particles more effectively than others'?

> Do some people's lungs gradually clear away the asbestos particles more effectively than others'?

At least in terms of damage to the lungs, from what I gather (by reading wikipedia!) it's the degree of inflammatory response to the asbestos that is critical, not the presence of the asbestos itself. If your body thinks 'asbestos, oh shit!' and mounts a big response to attempt to wall off the particles etc. then you are in trouble.

Fun fact: asbestos is blowing around in the air pretty much everywhere at some level.

Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King

#89

Post by noctune »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #53
reyoz wrote: post #49

For 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 Wittenoo…

> seems to be a bit like Russian roulette One of my dads friends had a business installing asbestos siding in the 1960's. He's in his 80's and seems fine. On the other hand his wife died of mesothelioma 20 years ago.

My uncle spent some weeks doing DIY projects with asbestos. Hes has mesothelioma now. Turns out he has (along with many in our family) a genetic disorder that makes certain cancers like mesothelioma much more likely.

Re: When Asbestos Was a Gift Fit for a King

#90

Post by raxxorrax »

skellera wrote: post #11
aresant wrote: post #6

Build 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…

That is why it is safe to chew on pencils but not putting them too deeply into your nose.

Could be though, finding materials that are believed to be harmless and turn out deadly a lot later seems to occur quite regularly.

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