6 ms·

My dad used baby powder as deodorant because he had sensitive skin. Died of lung cancer at age 58, and never smoked. Anecdotal, but this really pisses me off.

refurb 8y ago
Did he have the type of lung cancer that is common with asbestos exposure? People get lung cancer all the time having never smoked.
- smt88 8y ago
  Less than 15% of lung cancers occur in people who haven't smoked. A lot of the rest of the risk is radon. It's not unreasonable to think there might be a connection.
  - assblaster 8y ago
    Asbestos is linked more with mesothelioma.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
  - refurb 8y ago
    As others have mentioned asbestos increases the risk of a very specific type of lung cancer. People don’t seem to realize that there isn’t a cause for every case of cancer. Sometimes you just get cancer even having never been exposed to any risk factors.
- cloverich 8y ago
  The cancer most associated with asbestos (mesothelioma) is not actually the most common type it causes (bronchogenic carcinoma). EDIT: Removed my qualifier as this directly refutes several child comments.
nradov 8y ago
Was your father's home and workplace ever tested for radon? It's the second leading cause of lung cancer and a far bigger problem than asbestos. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/radon/radon-fact-sheet#q4 https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/s...
- lungBraker 8y ago
  Don't forget: brake pads. The various facets of all transportation industries probably have as much or more asbestos grinding into the air with particulate matter from vehicular brake systems on trains and automobiles, and to a lesser extent aviation. The soot in the NYC subway is probably ripe with asbestos. Every time I smell that acrid ceramic smell of new brakes on a subway car, I figure I'm catching a whiff of asbestos, and it's a smell I encounter more than talc. I only know the smell for what it is from changing brake pads on my car a few times, years ago.
  - hedora 8y ago
    Asbestos brake pads are illegal in the US as far as I know (and I’ve heard that the asbestos in the old banned ones was not the same as the really nasty stuff in insulation, even after being ground up during normal use). Did NYC somehow get a special “kill all the commuters” exemption under the radar, or something?
    - ComputerGuru 8y ago
      This article from 1980 says asbestos brake usage in train/subway cars was already almost entirely phased out at the time it was published: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/11/11/latest-metro-problem-subway-trains-with-brakes-that-shriek/b6dca2e9-2d6d-4e02-80cd-cffaa0d51665/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e4d603c00363 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/11/11/late...
    - akovaski 8y ago
      Asbestos brake pads are NOT illegal in the US, according to the EPA[0]. I have not been able to find any evidence that asbestos brake particulate is safe[1]. There are numerous places online saying that most brake pads no longer use asbestos, particularly OEM brake pads. Though I can't find any numbers to back this up. Also, I have no idea how carcinogenic the replacement materials are; I hope they are less dangerous than asbestos. [0] https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/us-federal-bans-asbestos https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/us-federal-bans-asbestos [1] https://www.mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/asbestos/brake-pads-and-asbestos/ https://www.mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/asbestos/brake-...
emmelaich 8y ago
I had heard that _any_ powder or particulate matter is a danger to lung health long term. Including talc whether or not it has asbestos. The size of of the particles on the average might not be small enough to matter, but over time and volume there will be more than a few small particles.

refurb 8y ago

Did he have the type of lung cancer that is common with asbestos exposure? People get lung cancer all the time having never smoked.

smt88 8y ago
Less than 15% of lung cancers occur in people who haven't smoked. A lot of the rest of the risk is radon. It's not unreasonable to think there might be a connection.
- assblaster 8y ago
  Asbestos is linked more with mesothelioma.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- refurb 8y ago
  As others have mentioned asbestos increases the risk of a very specific type of lung cancer. People don’t seem to realize that there isn’t a cause for every case of cancer. Sometimes you just get cancer even having never been exposed to any risk factors.
cloverich 8y ago
The cancer most associated with asbestos (mesothelioma) is not actually the most common type it causes (bronchogenic carcinoma). EDIT: Removed my qualifier as this directly refutes several child comments.

nradov 8y ago

Was your father's home and workplace ever tested for radon? It's the second leading cause of lung cancer and a far bigger problem than asbestos. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/radon/radon-fact-sheet#q4 https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/s...

lungBraker 8y ago
Don't forget: brake pads. The various facets of all transportation industries probably have as much or more asbestos grinding into the air with particulate matter from vehicular brake systems on trains and automobiles, and to a lesser extent aviation. The soot in the NYC subway is probably ripe with asbestos. Every time I smell that acrid ceramic smell of new brakes on a subway car, I figure I'm catching a whiff of asbestos, and it's a smell I encounter more than talc. I only know the smell for what it is from changing brake pads on my car a few times, years ago.
- hedora 8y ago
  Asbestos brake pads are illegal in the US as far as I know (and I’ve heard that the asbestos in the old banned ones was not the same as the really nasty stuff in insulation, even after being ground up during normal use). Did NYC somehow get a special “kill all the commuters” exemption under the radar, or something?
  - ComputerGuru 8y ago
    This article from 1980 says asbestos brake usage in train/subway cars was already almost entirely phased out at the time it was published: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/11/11/latest-metro-problem-subway-trains-with-brakes-that-shriek/b6dca2e9-2d6d-4e02-80cd-cffaa0d51665/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e4d603c00363 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/11/11/late...
  - akovaski 8y ago
    Asbestos brake pads are NOT illegal in the US, according to the EPA[0]. I have not been able to find any evidence that asbestos brake particulate is safe[1]. There are numerous places online saying that most brake pads no longer use asbestos, particularly OEM brake pads. Though I can't find any numbers to back this up. Also, I have no idea how carcinogenic the replacement materials are; I hope they are less dangerous than asbestos. [0] https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/us-federal-bans-asbestos https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/us-federal-bans-asbestos [1] https://www.mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/asbestos/brake-pads-and-asbestos/ https://www.mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/asbestos/brake-...

emmelaich 8y ago

I had heard that _any_ powder or particulate matter is a danger to lung health long term. Including talc whether or not it has asbestos. The size of of the particles on the average might not be small enough to matter, but over time and volume there will be more than a few small particles.