Saturday, December 09, 2023

Asbestos Snow

(via reddit)

9 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Yikes!

Jim said...

Donnie says it's 100% safe.
Donnie and asbestos go way back.
Russian company appreciates Donnie's approval.
https://www.worthingtoncaron.com/News/2018/July/Russian-Asbestos-Industry-Earns-Trumps-Seal-of-A.aspx

RockyD said...

Yikes, I remember this stuff being strewn around our 3rd grade classroom. It's a wonder so many of us actually make it to retirement age!

Bicycle Bill said...

Was watching a rebroadcast of the original Wizard of Oz overnight, and when Glinda causes it to snow and negate the effect of the poppies, the 'snow' that was used was asbestos. 

Maybe Glinda wasn't such a good witch after all!

-"BB"-

Bicycle Bill said...

Remember when they had lead-foil tinsel and you hung individual strands of it on the trees, too?  Then they replaced it with that crappy plastic stuff.

-"BB"-

jamie said...

I remember that exact same box in my Grandfathers shop. He told me to never touch it as it was poison. This was in the late 50's and I have since learned that lots of people back then knew it was awful stuff.

Anonymous said...

Takes forever to melt on your tongue.
xoxoxoBruce

Ack Tthhpt said...

My father was an HVAC contractor and in the 60's & 70's he tore out a lot of asbestos-lined gravity-feed (aka octopus) heating systems. Summers I worked alongside him (aged 13-18). Back then dust abatement consisted of tying a bandana across your face and trying to keep the area wetted down as best you could.

In his late 60's doctors discovered a fist-sized tumor in my father's right upper lung. It was removed and I asked him and my mother what they found. I was told it was just a weird tumor, nothing to worry about, and whatever it was, it didn't spread. He lived to be almost 82, although the surgery caused him considerable pain for the rest of his life. After my mother passed away 3 years ago I discovered notes in her handwriting that his tumor was mesothelioma. (Thanks for not telling me that, Mom.)

Last year I went in for an MRI for another condition and they discovered I have a strange 'nodule' in my lower left lung. I can't prove it's mesothelioma without a biopsy and it's in a location that's so hard to reach, no surgeon wants to risk it unless it gets a lot bigger or starts causing me problems.

Yay me!

P.S. I worked for years in the electric utility industry, around asbestos-coated boilers, pipes, and electrical wiring, so I've got that going for me as well. I also have an 8-foot-long fire-resistant workbench in my garage. Care to guess what the top of it is made of? Someday I should have it removed but right now I still use it for welding and brazing. It's safe as long as I don't break or scrape at it. At least, that's what I've been told.




WilliamRocket said...

They told us asbestos was safe
They told us Thalidomide was safe
They told us smoking was safe
They told us sugar was safe

I could mention a recent example but I don't want to split the room.