"Many journalists* asbestos ignorant", more like.
Let's recap briefly; white asbestos is relatively harmless**, especially when hidden behind plaster or within walls. As against blue and brown asbestos which are chemically quite different, absolutely carcinogenic and have been banned in many countries for decades, e.g. they were banned in the UK in 1985.
* With the honourable exception of Christopher Booker, of course.
** When I was a kid, most garages were made out a simple frame with white asbestos walls and roof, many still are AFAIAA. If it were that terrible, we'd all be dead by now, surely?
*** Rather surprisingly, the British Lung Foundation does not appear to be State-funded (unless I've missed something), but it does manage to blow 40% of its income on fundraising and admin costs.
Put On Your Big Boy Pants, Maybe?
28 minutes ago
5 comments:
Are they carcinogenic? I though asbestosis was when the fibres got into the lungs causing scratches that healed with scar tissue that could not function like healthy lung tissue.
FWIR, the blue and brown stuff will kill you after a few months, the white stuff takes twenty years of inhaling it full time before you even get symptoms. Here's what the NHS says.
The fibres penetrate the cell walls and let the carcinogens in, RM. That's why there's such a huge synergy with smoking. Three warnings:-
(i) some asbestos material is a blend of the white and the deadly
(ii) material can discolour in use, so don't assume you can recognise it just by looking
(iii) My comments are based or reading this stuff up, not on original research.
Okay, thanks.
I can remember demolishing my Dad's white asbestos garage nearly 20 years ago, so we could have a concrete one put up. Dad, granddad, brother and myself, specialist tools some gloves, sledge hammers and bunch of old coal sacks. I reckon it would cost a small fortune these days to get a contractor to do the job!
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