From: GOTAM35 (gotam35@sc.rr.com)
Date: Fri Jan 17 2003 - 17:20:00 PST
If you didn't read Bruce's email, you might want to. He covered most of the
asbestos related illnesses rather well. I have worked most of my life in
the heating and cooling business and at one time had to be trained to remove
asbestos. Here's a few more tips I think everyone should know.
1. Asbestos is everywhere. My understanding is it was found to be
dangerous in the early 70's, but was still used in a lot of things for a
long time. It was used until a reasonable substitute was found. I am told
brake shoe lining still had some of it a few years ago. It was use in
almost everything at one time. It is a mineral and that is why it is so
good. It just don't burn. Your body can't desolve it either. That is why
you lungs form scare tissure over it. It could be found in anything made
before the early 70's.
2. Asbestos is easy to contain. Dust control is the trick. It is most
hazardous then it becomes air born. If you get the dust in your clothes,
you can leave it in your house for the children to inhale. All material
than can absorb dust has to be diposed of when it has been exposed to
asbestos. When we went into a containment area, the only thing that came
out was us naked and showered. All work clothes were bagged. Be carful
though, the asbestos you was off of you brake parts in the yard can't get in
the lungs if it is wet, but the dust from the ground, after it dies out will
have it in it. The stuff don't go away.
3. Here's an easy why to test most asbestos. If the material, and not all
will fit this, is fussy, has little hair like particles in it, burn it with
a match. If the hairs glow red and are not brittle when they cool, it is
asbestos. If they melt or crumble, it probably is not.
4. You can't throw asbestos in the trash. It's a crime. It has to be
diposed of at a proper land fill. Here in Sunny South Carolina you can
remove asbestos at your home if you are the home owner. My sister just
bought a house with asbestos siding. It's not dangerous unless you cut or
brake it.
The most common use of asbestos is to keep thing from burning. You might
find it around exhaust areas on old vehicles. If you run across anything
white that don't burn you should be carefull. It can realy kill you. It
takes a lot of exposure for the asbestosis to occure, but all it takes is
one little 3 micron particle in the lining of your lungs or stomic (I think
it is in some water pipes) to cause the always fatal disease.
Well I hope all this info has made everyone as paraniod as I am. Remember
this is "to the best of my knowledge" and I can't remember if I ate lunch
today. I'm pretty sure about all of this. If anyone know more, speak up.
Joe Trapp
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