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Agreed. Asbestos is a wonder material that the world is unironically worse-off without. To be fair, putting it in brake pads which get worn down into dust proba

Agreed. Asbestos is a wonder material that the world is unironically worse-off without. To be fair, putting it in brake pads which get worn down into dust probably wasn't a great idea...

SkyPuncher 6y ago
I'm curious what you feel is a good use for asbestos? As far as I'm concerned, the fact that it may or may not be in any house I own is a huge problem. It makes renovation and remodeling a huge liability.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  In the US, it should not be in any newer house since the 1990s or even the 1980s. http://asbestosremovalnow.com/asbestos-banning-timeline/ http://asbestosremovalnow.com/asbestos-banning-timeline/
- voldacar 6y ago
  Its thermal insulation/fireproofing properties are incredible, it's basically a material out of science fiction. A few years ago I acquired a pair of asbestos gloves at a flea market. They are absolutely mind blowing. I have held glowing red-hot pieces of metal for upwards of a minute at a time with my hands only feeling mildly warm. You might be able to do this with certain welding gloves, but they would be thick like oven mitts, leaving you with basically no dexterity. These asbestos gloves are no thicker than ordinary leather work gloves, are lightweight and permit your full range of motion. As an experiment to see how far I could push them, I poured a bit of molten lead over them (my hand was not inside this time) and it just beaded up and wicked off, like water does on a waxy or oily surface. If my hand was inside, I'm sure it would have been fine. I'd even go so far as to say that you'd probably be fine if you submerged your hand in molten metal, since the pores in the woven asbestos are so small that the metal would probably be prevented from seeping in by its surface tension. All that said, they probably do release microscopic fibers into the air, so I wear an N95 when using them and store them in a sealed ziploc bag. edit: check this out too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwUXGyWlHQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwUXGyWlHQ
  - kareemm 6y ago
    You should wear an N100 when you wear your gloves. Asbestos fibres can easily bypass an N95. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/asbestos/homeowner/ppe.html https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/asbes...
    - _benedict 6y ago
      I think it depends on the level of fibre release you expect. I don't think the issue is that the fibres bypass an N95 mask, but that if there are many fibres in the air you want to filter out a much higher proportion than 95%. In the UK for non-licensed work (removing things like asbestos floor tiles which have low levels of asbestos that are bound in another substrate) you only need to wear the equivalent of an N95 mask.
    - voldacar 6y ago
      Noted, thanks! Is there any relevant difference between N100 and P100? I think my local hardware store has P100 filters in stock
      - clairity 6y ago
        P = prevents oil penetration N = doesn't prevent oil penetration 100 = 99.97% effective against pm2.5 infiltration (the hardest size to filter)
- echelon 6y ago
  I'd like to see a chemical lab without asbestos. When used by professionals, it's an incredible heat shield.

Agreed. Asbestos is a wonder material that the world is unironically worse-off without. To be fair, putting it in brake pads which get worn down into dust probably wasn't a great idea...

SkyPuncher 6y ago

I'm curious what you feel is a good use for asbestos? As far as I'm concerned, the fact that it may or may not be in any house I own is a huge problem. It makes renovation and remodeling a huge liability.

lotsofpulp 6y ago
In the US, it should not be in any newer house since the 1990s or even the 1980s. http://asbestosremovalnow.com/asbestos-banning-timeline/ http://asbestosremovalnow.com/asbestos-banning-timeline/
voldacar 6y ago
Its thermal insulation/fireproofing properties are incredible, it's basically a material out of science fiction. A few years ago I acquired a pair of asbestos gloves at a flea market. They are absolutely mind blowing. I have held glowing red-hot pieces of metal for upwards of a minute at a time with my hands only feeling mildly warm. You might be able to do this with certain welding gloves, but they would be thick like oven mitts, leaving you with basically no dexterity. These asbestos gloves are no thicker than ordinary leather work gloves, are lightweight and permit your full range of motion. As an experiment to see how far I could push them, I poured a bit of molten lead over them (my hand was not inside this time) and it just beaded up and wicked off, like water does on a waxy or oily surface. If my hand was inside, I'm sure it would have been fine. I'd even go so far as to say that you'd probably be fine if you submerged your hand in molten metal, since the pores in the woven asbestos are so small that the metal would probably be prevented from seeping in by its surface tension. All that said, they probably do release microscopic fibers into the air, so I wear an N95 when using them and store them in a sealed ziploc bag. edit: check this out too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwUXGyWlHQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwUXGyWlHQ
- kareemm 6y ago
  You should wear an N100 when you wear your gloves. Asbestos fibres can easily bypass an N95. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/asbestos/homeowner/ppe.html https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/asbes...
  - _benedict 6y ago
    I think it depends on the level of fibre release you expect. I don't think the issue is that the fibres bypass an N95 mask, but that if there are many fibres in the air you want to filter out a much higher proportion than 95%. In the UK for non-licensed work (removing things like asbestos floor tiles which have low levels of asbestos that are bound in another substrate) you only need to wear the equivalent of an N95 mask.
  - voldacar 6y ago
    Noted, thanks! Is there any relevant difference between N100 and P100? I think my local hardware store has P100 filters in stock
    - clairity 6y ago
      P = prevents oil penetration N = doesn't prevent oil penetration 100 = 99.97% effective against pm2.5 infiltration (the hardest size to filter)
echelon 6y ago
I'd like to see a chemical lab without asbestos. When used by professionals, it's an incredible heat shield.