Asbestos and Human History

[@sabre0smile]

Most YT historians: WWII, WWII, WWI, WWII, WWII, WWI, WWII The HistoryGuy: Asbestos, Ships cats, Airships, Cruise ships, TV, Cranberries, Hats I love this channel so much. You do wonderful work, sir.

[@ksanbahlyngwa1998]

True what you say. Do check out Epimethius & Kings and Generals

[@profharveyherrera]

That's why he preferred to talk about forgotten history

[@filanfyretracker]

"HISTORY" channel: Pawn shop, pawn shop, pawn shop, aliens did it.

[@grondhero]

@@filanfyretracker I was just about to add that, then remembered to check the replies first. :) I miss History Channel when it was about historical events.

[@randyphillips2263]

And pirates. Don't forget the pirates.

[@N0rdman]

I've sailed on asbestos insulated ships in the Swedish navy, as it was a very good insulator and easy to apply, often sprayed wet on the hull, it was very prolific in the ships of the navy. When you fired the guns the shock from the firing you had a white gray mist inside the ship from the insulation. It was a bit odd when the regulations came as the dockyard workers refused to work on the ship until the insulation was "encapsulated"; they had people come in and make sure that the insulation had an airtight protective cover as it was too expensive and complicated to rip it out. Every time we got into the navy dockyards they came to inspect the old ships with asbestos to check for punctures or damages before the workers came onboard. Slightly unreal to sit in your normal uniform, maybe eating, while a bunch of guys in space suits are walking around while carefully examining the inside of the hull with the look on their face like they have seen death...

[@weedmastersr]

Haha, very funny image at the end! Have you experienced any health problems so far due to your exposure? They say lung cancer from asbestos exposure can take as long as 40 years to develop, at which point you might be old as fuck anyway. I've worked on removing the asbestos roofing on an old farm when I was a teenager. Always been worried I might develop serious health problems because of it.

[@rickyricardo4718]

One exposure is probably not life threatening. Worrying about that one exposure is probably more damaging.

[@NorthernChev]

@@rickyricardo4718 ...probably not one exposure, severely depending on the amount and intensity of exposure, of course...

[@weedmastersr]

@@rickyricardo4718 Thanks for the reassurance! I'm just the type of person that worries a lot.

[@weedmastersr]

@@NorthernChev It was over the course of 3 or 4 days, a few hours each day. Another person removed the nails keeping the tiles on the roof and I was transporting them by hand to someone on a ladder that took them down. There was some dust. I was unaware of the dangers at the time.

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

The miracle mineral with a thousand uses; and one small problem.

[@retteketette]

we should modify our air intake

[@starsixseven9259]

@Klaa2 What problem does graphene have?

[@ivansemanco6976]

@@starsixseven9259 Only future reveal. Same like asbestos, great material with unique properties but as our knowledge rise, we definitely found that there is a flaw.

[@timmmahhhh]

@@retteketette what a difference four months makes, yeah we're all wearing masks now so what the hell bring it back! 😂

[@samiraperi467]

@@timmmahhhh Except people are stupid to even acknowledge there *is* a pandemic, let alone use masks. Masks that mostly don't filter well enough to block asbestos anyway.

[@2dashville]

I'm 60 years old and I'm just now finding out asbestos is a mineral. For some reason I thought it was a type of man made fiberglass compound. So thank you History Guy for teaching me something new.

[@SolRC]

It's a naturally occurring thing here in California, it's found in our state rock, serpentine.

[@13orrax]

this is exactly what i though too

[@SummerBreeeze]

same here lol... things you never knew you never knew!!

[@brett76544]

As an asbestos professional you have done a good job explaining this. You have included things we talk about during our yearly refresher classes.

[@nhces29]

As a full time Asbestos consultant thank you for telling the story. Your research is spot on and I hope to show this video during training sessions to help educate people.

[@bubbafudpucker397]

What do you think about all the asbestos being introduced to the environment via the scrap metal industry? The handling/transport/storage/shredding industries claim they don't accept hazmat, but huge amounts of it are there. Ask me how I know.

[@nhces29]

@@bubbafudpucker397 oh I have a good guess. There is a lot of that going on. Legislation demanding asbestos surveys and remediation covers buildings and only certain ones. There is plenty in equipment and scrap thats never checked...

[@evanleebodies]

ditto

[@alexhayden2303]

@@bubbafudpucker397 I shudder to think about Indian ship breakers worker's lives!

[@Deontjie]

Can we belief anyone who's income is directly linked to this lie? You mention asbestos. Did you mean *Chrysotile* or *Crocidolite?* Or do you think it is the same thing? Or don't you know the difference? Do you want us to remove all trees because of Poison Oak? Is it OK if I call you a crook that feeds of the inexperience of your clients?

[@timmmahhhh]

I'm an architect of thirty years whose mentor was a volunteer firefighter in a small village. One of his calls was to a building with an arcing electric panel, and had the building not been clad with asbestos siding it would had easily caught fire. It was a good lesson in understanding why asbestos was a popular material though it was banned in construction products after 1985, and lead in 1978. When I'm renovating a building one of the first questions I ask is the year it was built to consider the possibility either material was used. Where asbestos becomes a problem is when it is in a friable form, or easily disintegratable. Pipe insulation and building fireproofing are some of the main culprits for releasing the cancerous fibers. Any buildings with this abatement is mandatory. It's also scary to think that it was commonly used for car brake pads by companies named Raybestos and I can imagine traffic cops and street vendors being susceptible to Mesothelioma, or anyone regularly walking a busy street. Products like vinyl asbestos tile are not a danger as long as they don't become cracked, although the adhesives used to secure it often contain easily friable asbestos, which is why encapsulation of these, or covering it with another flooring material, is considered an acceptable way of dealing with it. If you see tiles measuring 9"x9" they are probably asbestos as most vinyl composition tile that replaced it comes in 12" squares. But yes seeing the health issues to those who mine and work with the material make it not worth producing. And if we need to cut a slab for new plumbing that has this tile best to properly remove it. And for that building with the asbestos panel, cement siding is now an available substitute. I'd love to see you do a similar video for lead as you're likely familiar with a resort town to the north of you called Galena which at one time was a bigger city than Chicago. Galena of course being the Latin word for the mineral form of lead.

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

I used to wax and buff 9x9 asbestos tile for a university. They had a ton of it as of 2014.

[@highpath4776]

@@sinisterthoughts2896 Best is , if it aint broke, dont try to fix it.

[@kobusg7460]

Thanks; interesting. A question from a complete lackey: Does not cement (in powder / raw mining form) also pose 'lung-infection' risk?

[@filanfyretracker]

@@kobusg7460 technically any super fine powder or fiber can, this is why even the pink stuff(Fiber Glass insulation) you should wear a mask. coal miners got something called black lung I believe.

[@edgregory1]

Pb is periodic table symbol = Plumbum. Which language?

[@robbarasch6472]

My dad died of Mesothelioma 9 years ago. He worked with asbestos in the construction industry and while serving in the Navy during WWII. Mesothelioma is a HORRIBLE way to die, my dad literally drowned as his lungs filled with fluid as a result of the disease. My dad was a tough guy who I never saw suffer until the very end of his life. Thank you, History Guy, for helping make people aware of the dangers of this both amazing and deadly product.

[@stuarthirsch]

Same with me and my mother also died of it. I know exactly what you saw and the hell your father and you went through.

[@paulwick272]

My father worked in the building trades applied asbestos to pipes and boilers he retired at 56 years of age and died at 65 Some of his coworkers died in their 40's My Uncle did the same job and died from cancer in his mid 50's I worked as an Auto Mechanic since I was 18 replaced a lot of brake pads and shoes I'm 66 now with asbestosis confirmed by doctors high risk of cancer and mesothelioma may as well work on my bucket list with the time I have left. Was exposed to the dust almost daily at work

[@robbarasch6472]

@@paulwick272 I hope you stay healthy and enjoy a long and happy life.

[@martindobrev-u6j]

@@paulwick272im so sorry for ur losse mine dad have asbestosis at age 59,how much time u being exposed to

[@richardross3815]

Thanks for this video Lance. As a proud retired member of Locals 118 and 110 " Heat and Frost Insulators ( formerly Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers) I can fully appreciate its dangers. I spent my first 5 years in the trade applying all types of asbestos products as pipe and boiler insulation and/or asbestos mud( which was an asbestos cement powder you made into a slurry to apply over insulation tied on with mesh) The next 5 years in the early 70's I worked on many jobs " removing" asbestos. As the process got more and more complicated I finally said enough and stepped back from that part of the industry. I refused all those calls on the board. Even after all these years I still get my lungs checked on regular basis......fearful of it finally appearing and compromising my health. I have lost more older friends then I care to count ....all from mesothelioma....... And it infuriates me to find out they were aware of its dangers as far back as the 1920"s and earlier. A sad a disgusting fact....money above all....at least in some business. And the only people who profit now?....mostly lawyers. Lol....no surprise there.

[@superjeffstanton]

Cool story now do the one on covid

[@bradpayn8058]

When I was around 10 or 12 years old, my dad and his best buddy used to pan, and run a sluice box looking for gold. They usually found a little. They never got rich, but they came out ahead usually. I'd help some, but I was a kid and soon tired of it. I went on those trips more for the camping, and the brookies in those creeks, and to climb around on the boulders and hills. One day while they were grubbing around in the creek, I was climbing around on a little mountain nearby and found a man made rectangular hole, a drift, going into the hill. It only went back in, like a hallway, about 20 or 30 feet. Back in it about halfway, I saw that the rocks were 'fuzzy' looking, so I stuck some in my pockets to ask my dad about. My dad and his buddy both knew it was asbestos, and were exited that I had found it. They went up the hill where I showed them the source, and took several coffee cans of it. Later we went to the assessor's office of that county and found that there was no mineral claims on that land, so we filed one right then. We started a company, my dad, his buddy, and me. I didn't know much about how companies work, but I knew I owned a third of this company. They talked to several people who were already into mining, minerals, and/or asbestos, and several deals sounded pretty good. They also had geologists or whatever go out with them who measured, drew, and estimated what we had. It was good. The future asbestos mine we were trying to get going was sounding better each year, but all that research, and dealings took time. Six or eight years went by. I think the biggest thing that held everything up was it was in the boondocks, several miles of 4x4 trail into the some of the roughest of the Rockies, in a state with hardly any factories, and no place to process the ore, Wyoming. I think most of that kind of stuff took place back East - so there was going to be some freight problems, but still it was very nice clean whitish yellow asbestos - good stuff we were told. It was worth coming to get and it wasn't going anywhere. It was like 'money in the bank' lol. I was in high school when the bad news about asbestos came out. I know all the outlawing of it was in 1985, but the bad news beat that a few years. I don't know what class I was in, but I was in high school from '77 to '81 and it was in that time that we first heard of mesophilioma (sp), and knew our asbestos glory hole had petered out. At least we never took any out other than a few samples, so we had nothing to do with all the illness, or the lawsuits. Just easy come, easy go.

[@MrArcher0]

I am an asbestos removal abater with over 20 years in the field and want to share some fun facts with you. There are two main types of products containing asbestos; Friable and Non-Friable. Friable are products that easily produce air born particles; such as pipe insulation and ceiling tiles. Non-Friable are products containing asbestos in which the asbestos is incapsulated in a resin or other medium that binds the asbestos preventing it to become easily airborne in particulate form,. These items include floor tile, break pads, pot handles among other products. The latter products being very save unless showing signs of excessive wear ( dust) and or some sort of break down of the incapsulate that contains the asbestos. Also smoking puts you at a 200% greater risk for asbestosis than a non-smoker due to the damage to the cilia in your air ways being damaged. So as long as your not grinding up your pot handles and snorting the dust and are a non -smoker most of us who live and work in buildings built after 1967 you should be relatively safe and can look forward to dying from one of a thousand other things out there that we humans have made.

[@Lestat1795]

MrArcher0 brake pads are a wear item and literally turn to dust...

[@incognitotorpedo42]

MrArcher0, thanks for getting the facts out there. A lot of asbestos paranoia is unwarranted. Some (the friable stuff) is, though, as you point out. Brake dust would be problematic, which is why we don't use asbestos in brakes any more.

[@MrArcher0]

Yes, you are right. As you are aware. But unless you’re going around licking break pads or service them on a regular basis you should be ok.

[@MrArcher0]

IncognitoTorpedo Actually there are lots of break pad out there that still contain some asbestos. Mostly found in the brakes of larger vehicles such as semi-trucks and heavy equipment.

[@philtripe]

@@MrArcher0 brake pads...you take a break at work

[@paraglidingnut26]

Asbestos is a great insulator. 30 years ago, we removed asbestos bricks from an extremely hot tank. The flame retardant poly we used to control the devastating heat actually caught on fire. Those asbestos bricks were great insulators for heat resistance.

[@Lazy_Tim]

Asbestos is great stuff. Cheap with so many uses. Properties that we just cannot make for the cost today. Pity it can kill us.

[@scythelord]

Carbon nanotubes are often celebrated for their uses but have exactly the same dangers to people as asbestos, just without being as cheap to produce.

[@minuteman4199]

I think it still is a great material, if proper care and attention are payed to the risks involved. Mining it is risky when done without proper safety gear, but I suspect that when it is mixed into cement, then painted over it provides a great fire proof barrier that is no risk to anyone. I suspect dust in your lungs is bad regardless of the source. I imagine that construction drywallers, plasterers and insulators who still don't use any protection against dust will have the same health issues as asbestos miners.

[@Lazy_Tim]

@@minuteman4199 I agree it is great stuff. When working with my father he would tell me asbestos sheeting is great stuff. No need to remove it just leave it alone and all will be fine. I have removed a fair bit of asbestos and really all you need is a garden hose to keep the dust at bay and plastic sheeting to wrap it up in for removal and disposal. You are not going to drop dead on one job.

[@georgemckenna462]

The asbestos micro dust fibers edges are hard and jaggedly sharp. They rupture the lungs alveoli and gradually destroy them.

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

@@georgemckenna462 actually the real risk asbesto dust brings is that the body just cant break it down, due to it being so durable. Any particulate is bad for your lungs, but with asbestos, any you ever pick up, stays for life.

[@AcydDrop]

My grandfather died from Mesothelioma in the 1990's as a direct result of working on ship construction and breaking ships for scrap/etc in the UK. I was just young girl when he passed and only found out much later that it was asbestos related. So this episode really hit home for me. Still I didn't know much about it's history so thank you for making me a little wiser. Keep up the fantastic work.

[@Ivan_Ooze]

I think this channel is my favorite thing on KZbin

[@lawrenceguerrero8104]

I also have a degree in History, but im truly amazed at how he sews in seemingly unrelated events into a coherent subject. Fabulous!

[@ExilefromCrownHill]

As a kid in the 1960's, there was a Johns Manville plant in full operation in Nashua, NH. Their forklift would cross the street continually from factory to warehouse, taking with it a plume of dust each time. We would often drive right through that dust cloud without pondering the health risk.

[@cmanlovespancakes]

You were in a vehicle so it helped insulate you from the material. Just think of the workers in that factory that worked with the material every day. Probably most of them died young.

[@ExilefromCrownHill]

@@cmanlovespancakes Point taken! My comment was mostly about the cavalier attitude about exposure. Even if there was no dust, us kids were crammed into a car with two smokers anyway. Dad died from complications at age 40. Come to think of it, he was a mechanic on a Navy ship, 1943-'47.

[@yes0r787]

OK But who ever was unable to breathe and died an agonizing death, from taking the loud music option?

[@ExilefromCrownHill]

@@yes0r787 Jimi Hendrix.

[@chadweinstein2179]

Thank you for this thoughtful and intellectually honest history of a complex topic. Much more could be said about the deadly deceit engaged in by companies, but you made that point clearly, along with discussion of the remarkably useful properties of this mineral.

[@billhanna2148]

Surprising that history repeats itself and corporate welfare and greed come before everything else!

[@lecleland1]

I worked in an old (even for its time) a Rail Road repair track. There was asbestos everywhere. Walls, ceilings, brakes, rail cars etc.

[@noahhastings6145]

Me at 3 AM: "I should probably go to sleep now" KZbin: "Asbestos?" Me: "ASBESTOS!!!!"

[@curiousworld7912]

I remember reading about the Ingalls/Wilder family, as they were traveling toward their home in Mansfield, MO. They went through the small city of Springfield, and went into some shops for supplies. Laura remarked on some of the marvelous innovations the stores had - like burn-proof kitchen materials, made of something called 'asbestos'. I can still remember my grandmother having asbestos hot-pads for the kitchen.

[@blackcountryme]

My nan had an asbestos pad for resting the tea pot on, so it didn't mark the sideboard.

[@curiousworld7912]

@@blackcountryme Yes - my grandma had one for her tea pot, as well. :)

[@LMacNeill]

Those Kent cigarettes that used asbestos in their filters just blow my mind. "Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's take the two riskiest lung-damaging products and *combine* them! What a *great* idea!" LOL.

[@mikecastellon4545]

Combine them, set them on fire, and then suck them into your lungs 30 or 40 times a day.

[@jamesslick4790]

The Taste of Kent!, With the famous Micronite filter! Ironically FILTER cigarettes were seen as SAFER than non filter cigarettes!, Smokers would have been BETTER OFF just smoking non filter Camels or Luckies! Fortunately, Winston and Marlboro filter cigarettes (which did not use asbestos) won out. Today I smoke only cigars that have NO filter. Probably better to do THAT than "huffing" asbestos! (And YES, from that standpoint "vaping" would be better than smoking. But I'm an old man, hard to change!)

[@grizzlygrizzle]

My parents smoked them for decades. My father lived into his late 70s, and my mother into her mid 80s, and neither had lung disease.

[@JoRoBoYo]

@@grizzlygrizzle luck

[@grizzlygrizzle]

@@JoRoBoYo -- Odds. -- There are two senses of the word "cause." The stronger one means that whenever A happens, X happens. The weaker one means that A, along with some combination of B, C, D, E, and/or F, will increases the likelihood that X will happen. The stronger sense means that A forces X to happen, and the weaker one means that A will contribute to the likelihood that X will happen. When the reality of an A factor is a weaker "causation," and the authorities advertise, "A causes X" without specifying that the causation is of the weaker sort, it is misleading. Examples of this are frequently found in news about nutrition. Eggs and coffee have in the past been demonized along with all cholesterol and fat. Sugar and carbs are the currently trending phobias. -- About 11% of smokers get lung cancer. I don't know what the percentage is for people who worked with asbestos, but when I was younger and the bad news about asbestos began to come out, I knew lots of guys who had worked with it, and I didn't know anyone who got mesothelioma, and the ones I knew well lived into old age. -- When the original secondhand smoke report came out in 1992, a professor of statistics I knew was very upset about it. He thought it would be the final nail in the coffin of the respectability of the field of statistics, since the abuses of statistical practices in that report were so blatant as to fall under the category of the old saying about "lies, damned lies, and statistics." But he underestimated the power of political correctness. -- I'm not a raving skeptic about the findings of complex scientific predictions. But after decades of seeing how often scientists, who are merely human, have pursued their own ego-driven desires to make their findings "important," and to promote trendy political movements, I take their findings with a grain of salt.

[@freefieldtraining]

Every time I watch I learn something new I never would have thought to even look up.

[@awesomeferret]

This is probably one exception though, most people in first world countries have Googled "asbestos" at least once I'm sure.

[@russellshaw8479]

Now *this* is history that needs to be learned, not just remembered. Well done sir.

[@grendelgrendelsson5493]

My uncle died of mesothelioma having been a Royal navy gunner in WW2. His anti-flash hood and gloves were made with asbestos. He said that when the ship was in heavy seas, the white asbestos dust would be falling from the ships pipework with every thud from the waves. My father-in-law also died from the same disease having been a carpenter and cut sheets of asbestos up in the 1960's. I was a builder in the 1970's and I also sawed sheets of asbestos.

[@martindobrev-u6j]

hey im so sorry for your uncle and dad….😔 tha same situation with me.. how old was ur dad and uncle…

[@RickG151]

I grew up outside the town of Manville, New Jersey (where Johns-Manville was located), and so remembering how asbestos hurt so many people is definitely a praiseworthy effort.

[@patrickmcneilly4293]

I was thinking that he was talking about US Mineral Wool (now Isolatek) In Stanhope, New Jersey. Which got into a lovely lawsuit due to the asbestos.

[@RickG151]

@@patrickmcneilly4293 I am sure there were other asbestos plants around New Jersey and the East Coast, but the one in Manville is pretty famous. A lot of the men (and many women) who worked at "JM" ended up with asbestosis, including a great uncle of mine who was also a union official there. The site of JM in Manville is now is a car auction lot.

[@minuteman4199]

I remember taking the train from east of Toronto to down town. There was a Johns Manville plant next o the train track. It's gone now, but I think it was still in operation doing something about 30 years ago.

[@buonafortuna8928]

Thanks THG, great job as usual. Something I often find is that the comments section contains a wealth of additional information, family anecdotes and the like. Thank you all, for making this channel even better.

[@dougboyd1083]

When I was in fifth grade in the 70s we had one of those reading comprehension worksheets with the story of Charlemagne throwing his "magical" tablecloth into the fire and how wonderful asbestos was. Later, when I was in college, I worked for the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture. One of our unit's jobs was controlling the spread of varroa mites in beehives. So we acquired an old NASA moon rock autoclave with plans to sterilize the hives in it. The machine was coated with asbestos, so a co-worker and I were assigned to paint the entire unit with an asbestos-coating paint. We wore respirators, suits and gloves and were careful not to pierce the asbestos. I don't know if the machine was ever actually used to treat beehives, which is a long way from it's original intent of sterilizing moon rocks, but it was neat to work on it.

[@anotheruser676]

That's a good example of how it is still plenty useful, you just have to respect its limitations.

[@jrherita]

My grandfather was a ww2 vet and a construction worker for life.. died of asbestosis around the age of 70. This is seriously interesting history - thank you for sharing!

[@bobm549]

The industry actively concealed the dangers of asbestos , and still does . Having seen the damage in my lifetime , I wonder what is being hidden now. The lunch box with " BOB " on it was chilling . Good job . Enjoy your videos .

[@anthonyC214]

My father was a welder and worked in shipyards and a major utility company. In the shipyards, after my father's crew would weld a section of a ship, the asbestos crew would follow with firehouses and sprayed the superstructure. In the ulitity company my father and others would be welding in the gaint boiler and other would be chopping away to remove the asbestos .He said it was like working in a snow storm with asbestos dust falling down on him and others. My father retired at 65 and was dead the next year. In all, all my father's coworkers died shortly after retirement.

[@alexanderstrickland9036]

Anthony Cavaliere it’s still like that, but with fiber glass and ‘insulation’(whatever the modern shit is made of). Give it a couple years. All the stuff we use as a replacement for asbestos will be found to be just as bad, if not worse.

[@shawnr771]

@@alexanderstrickland9036 I think that the fact that it was bad is not really the point. In my opinion it is the fact the companies knew it was bad and then downplayed or mislead the workers about the dangers and were uninterested in protecting their workers to make a profit.

[@jerryumfress9030]

My dad worked for Abbott Labs and Johns Manville during the second world war. An old timer told him he wouldn't live past 70. He died at 73

[@robbarasch6472]

Back in the day they'd mix asbestos into cement and spray it on the steel girders while building large projects. After my dad was diagnosed with Mesothelioma he told me that in the 70's in NY the guys spraying the cement started wearing masks but all of the other trades would be working at the same time without any protection. My dad had been out of heating and airconditioning for 30 years when he finally got sick.

[@nferraro222]

The Scottish actor Billy Connolly said the same thing a few years ago. He worked in the Glasgow shipyards. He remembered smoking unfiltered cigs between lips that had turned yellow from the deep-penetration welding rod fumes, and having the insulation falling down on him like snow. He couldn't believe he was still alive, because he knew a lot of people who weren't.

[@NVRAMboi]

Very interesting, particularly the "salamander" aspects. For some reason it immediately reminded me of Bradbury's book, "Farenheit 451" in which the "fire trucks/engines" were referred to in the book as "Salamanders" often used to burn houses alleged to contain any books, books being deemed illegal by the government. Perhaps coincidental, perhaps not. Thanks for another great episode.

[@teflonravager]

Since salamanders are fire creatures it is probably not a coincidence.

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

How do you figure it as a coincidence? Salamanders were famously considered to be fire elementals, who ignited everything around them. Fire breathing dragons were referred to as salamanders. I'm trying to think just how wild the odds are that Bradbury never read or heard any old stories, then picked some obscure amphibian for the nickname of the state sanctioned arsoniststhe, and just happened to land on salamander.

[@jimfeldman4035]

the wall mounted broilers in kitchens are called "salamanders"

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

@@jimfeldman4035 Wallmounting is not a requisite, salamanders usually are heat sources /burners only heating the produce from the upperside, most often with gas, less often with electricity, to keep it hot or add a last sear to otherwise completely cooked meals... It's one of the things usually only found in restaurants, like the special things you preheat dishes in before serving on them...

[@TheScienceguy77]

ancient people were pretty goddamn stupid to associate a fucking amphibian with fire

[@daveshrum1749]

Just wanted to say I love your content I love learning different stuff all the time. And you sir are a natural-born storyteller.

[@drewgehringer7813]

"if thou or thine kin hath been exposed to salamander's wool, thou may be entitled to recompense"

[@aoford5351]

Yea, verily.

[@joshpiotrowski3487]

Bwahahaha

[@roygunter3244]

I worked on building a power plant in 1971 where asbestos was used on steam pipes in the boiler area. Installers had to grind, saw and mix fibers to seal the rigid insulation they were applying. When they were finished with an area they would turn the boards of the scaffolding over and the dust they had created would float down like snow. We used a conduit called Transite which was an asbestos laden product that we often had to cut and use a tool to remove part of the pipe in order to join a short piece. I grew up in a house, which is still standing, with asbestos siding and owned a house with asbestos shingles, the house still has the roof on it. My mother and father had a house built in 1966 and the kitchen floor tiles were of an asbestos laden material. It is still very common to go into an older building and find asbestos insulation in walls and in crawl spaces. A few of the people I worked with developed asbestosis and died from it, I was tested and found not to be suffering from it.

[@markn4386]

My mother died of mesothelioma from asbestos a few years ago. This was very interesting and informative, I didn’t realize how far this went back in time

[@rfbyrnes]

Great video. I had no idea about the histroy of the Salamander, I now understand why they call those propane floor heaters salamanders.

[@kennyg1358]

The Insulators Union has a Salamander on a pipe over a fire. I never understood why till now.

[@brianperry150]

And in kitchens the salamander is an uber hot box usully found above the flat fryer. it is to generally fix a mistake in line production super fast. Gota keep an eye on it tho otherwise what is cooking realy fast will burn to cinder. I was aware of the contruction salamander and was always curious why they are both called that, now I know.

[@mattmatthews5414]

Oh my Lob, I didn't even think of that! My dad had this 3' long heater in the garage that looked and sounded like a miniature jet engine which he called the Salamander.

[@WarpedYT]

Awesome Episodes!!... Love them !

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

Like your channel, I just discovered this one yesterday.

[@libertycosworth8675]

As an industrial hygienist, I found this recent video about the history of asbestos to be interesting, accurate, and I have now shared it with my colleagues. Great job again, History Guy!

[@johnmilligan2964]

Best channel on KZbin! The History Guy reminds me of my American history teacher from high school. My teacher had a filing cabinet full of little tidbits from history that you couldn't find in any history book.

[@GeorgeWMays]

I still remember those pictures of Steve McQueen in LeMans wearing that asbestos scarf; later to die of mesothelioma.... Very sad. But I grew up in a house built in 1900. The shingles were asbestos. They are still on the house 120 years later, though they have been painted over. The plumbing for the heating system was likewise wrapped in asbestos. There was a pad on our stove in the 1950's made out of asbestos. It strikes me that it is an excellent tool that was carelessly used and has thus developed a terrible reputation. Perhapes there are intelligent ways to use asbestos when used with the appropriate cautions.

[@tommypetraglia4688]

But you don't have any idea of the collateral damage from taking it from the mine, through processing and finally end product use... the people in the supply chain, esp those handling the raw product sufferd most

[@zeroelus]

"It strikes me that it is an excellent tool that was carelessly used" oh how many things would fall under that category.

[@highpath4776]

Those asbestos pads and cloths on ironing boards do break up well dont they?

[@jimfeldman4035]

In fact, in the late '60's we were still using asbestos coated screens as heat spreaders over Bunsen burners.

[@Milkmans_Son]

McQueen also served on ships as a Marine.

[@wscottwatson]

When I was at school, in the 1960's and 70's, we had asbestos mats in the science labs. If you were using a Bunsen burner or other hot things, you had the mat underneath so as not to start a fire.

[@CarlosRodriguez-hb3vq]

Scott Watson Yes we did, and as a teenager I stole one to make gaskets for my motorcycle engine. It was good stuff.

[@rwdplz1]

They were still there as late as the 90's in our district

[@ukemike1]

The lab countertops were probably made of asbestos-cement. That's really common in old labs and schools.

[@kickheadsmuoke689]

Just graduated from a high school with a science department from the 80’s and equipment to match. Still made of asbestos; we had blue stickers everywhere warning us of it.

[@JohnJohansen2]

Sadly asbestos wasn't prohibited here in Denmark until 1980, and for a few years after, still legal in some products. This was yet another video that made me learning new stuff.👍 Please keep them coming. - I apologize for any wrong spelling.

[@freefall0483]

This is without doubt one of the absolute best channels on KZbin. Thank you so much for the effort and dedication that you put into the research and presentation of these videos. Genuinely appreciated.

[@heatherrusciano681]

I love all The History Guy shows but especially this as you mentioned my family name, "Hatschek" unique enough with the silent 's' that if spelled that way they are related. There is a patent for the "Hatschek Machine" that produces lightweight composit fireproof sideing and roofing using adbestos. and concrete. Present day manufacture had replaced the asbestos with a material that not toxic. Thank you, Eric Hatschek watching on a friend's phone

[@ssreeser95]

My dad was a fire fighter for many years and he said houses with asbestos panel siding were interesting to watch because the panels would simply fall off the house in one single sheet.

[@lauradunn7809]

I was helping my dad in the basement of one of his rental houses that was built in the early 1900s. I was holding the flashlight and handing him the tools he needed while he was working on the boiler. When he was done he pointed up at the large ductwork leading into the boiler. He said," looky-here Laurie Beth." I look up to see a large hole in the ductwork with strips of asbestos wrapping hanging down. He continues on say," this is old asbestos wrapping it's what they used to use for insulation because it was Fireproof". I said," oh well we better be careful that we don't get any of that on us or breathe it in". He then says to me "it's not as big of a deal as people make it out to be," and then he proceeds to rip pieces of the asbestos insulation off the pipe. I yelled at him, " Dad, stop that, I don't want to be breathing that crap in." And then the asbestos tainted ductwork fell to the ground with a plume of asbestos dust flying into the air afterwards.....😱 As I was running up the basement steps, I yelled back at him," if you want to stay down in the basement that's your business, but I'm going upstairs." He did follow me upstairs, but he really didn't believe that the asbestos was dangerous.😰

[@Kenneth_James]

I think anyone born in the 80s or later has a completely different idea of the dangers of asbestos compared to older people. The shit was in everything and they are still ok so why would they think otherwise right? While I wouldn't run away from a pile of asbestos please believe I'd be running when I saw that plume of dust.

[@CODMarioWarfare]

I think the mainstream fears of asbestos, especially among younger people, are severely overblown. It’s not a mold spore. A small acute exposure is not something you should panic about. A large acute exposure (e.g 9/11) or small chronic exposure is definitely to be avoided. I obviously don’t want that stuff in buildings anymore, but I’m also not dropping thousands of dollars for someone to remove a couple feet of wrapping. I’d personally be more careful than your dad, though, taking _some_ measures of dust abatement and lung protection.

[@johnkilmartin5101]

@@CODMarioWarfare I have remediated both mould and asbestos professionally. While there is some overlap in the method of remediation the risks are quite different. Mould produces toxins and is therefore acute in those susceptible. Asbestos fibres are carcinogenic and therefore symptoms show up much later and there is little difference between two individuals exposed. The only risk increase is between nonsmokers and smokers. This has to do with certain chemicals in tobacco smoke that paralyze cilia for 30 minutes after smoking.

[@chris00nj]

I wouldn't want to breathe in a cloud of dust but too many people panic if it is just sitting in a wall. It's only dangerous if it is distributed. Of course, 1 cloud of dust is unlike to cause harm. Most people who had issues were exposed day after day for years

[@commentingcommentee1155]

@@CODMarioWarfare I used to do work around hazmat materials. Asbestos being one of them, while now. It's not so much of a worry because there's been a large fear of it thus causing it's removal, just about everywhere. So I absolutely agree with you that it has been So what overblown, there is still enough of it, that it is still a concern, especially in older homes. One thing though, that I think should be adressed better are other materials such as fiberglass insulation and tile. Fiberglass insulation is So what similiar to asbestos and the dust that is picked up when people cut tile and other materials have shown to be just as harmful. Regardless, I always tell everyone that if they know that they will be working with something that releases fumes or particulates in the air to buy a respirator with an appropriate filter. You can pick a decent one up at home depot for about 20 bucks. Spending an extra 20 bucks now could potentially save you from a world of hurt on the long run.

[@shadowgb]

I remember having a textbook in high school that had been printed in the 1970s. It talked about baby clothes being made of asbestos.

[@TheDirge69]

You are such a good writer! The introductions are so engaging, one cannot help but watch or listen.

[@andrewadams20]

My husky accidentally disliked the video while climbing on my lap, I think I fixed it. As a service manager for a fire protection company I have experience working on "old-construction" sites with asbestos present. I love your channel and appreciate this video!

[@GunBigotHater]

In 1981, I was assigned to a ship that went “asbestos free.” This meant they took a stencil that reads “asbestos free,” and put it on all the old insulation. In the ship yard, it was all over me, like snow. They passed around a paper for us to sign, stating we had not been exposed, but I wouldn’t sign it.

[@brett76544]

You would not believe, how many times we had people call us where management sent down a letter for people to sign like that. We normally got contacted by lawyers over this to review. All I said was, you have to see the bulk testing results and personal air samples and even then, who knows.

[@AldousHuxley7]

Sue them now.

[@suesutherland9782]

Sounds like Toyoda...

[@harrysweeten9417]

If the government says it free of asbestos it must be true. Right?

[@charletonzimmerman4205]

In, 77', I & another, sailor hauled several garbage cans, off my 1st ship, & dumped into, open Dumpster, marked "ASBESTOS" WASTE. Got it put in my Medical records when I transfered off in 80', in 2019, I was diagnosed , with asbestosis .

[@StuSaville]

My parents lived for a short time in the West Australian town of Wittenoom which was a major producer of blue asbestos. Because grass couldn't be grown in the town due to a shortage of water, asbestos mine tailings were used everywhere as a kind of astroturf on footpaths, the local golf course and even the school playground. More than 2000 of the local residents died from asbestosis.

[@EWLR89]

In the Towns of Libby and Troy, MT USA there were vermiculite mines and mill, the tailing's were likewise used around the towns as well as the products. Wiki says that about 10% of the local population had died from it.

[@StuSaville]

@ieatyomama Sorry I meant they only lived there for a short time because the government ordered that the town be permanently evacuated, fortunately neither contracted the disease. Wittenoom was literally wiped off the map.

[@StuSaville]

@@DrQuadrivium 2000 obvious typo

[@ouroborosrecords]

@@DrQuadrivium , if you can't figure that out I suggest you remove the "Dr" from your user name...

[@ecmarks438]

@@DrQuadrivium considering Stu S answered 2000 now you are being the stubborn, imperious jerk.

[@omaha2pt]

Who here remembers back in the early 90's buying brake pads and clutch disks with "Asbestos-free" in the packaging?

[@rnavstar]

They stopped with the Asbestos-free on the packaging, does that mean it's back in them? :/

[@stanwolenski9541]

@@rnavstar no longer a good marketing phrase.

[@BackSeatHump]

An exceptionally interesting video, HG.

[@waratahdavid696]

Love you channel. I suggest an episode on Burke and Wills, explorers in central Australia. The margin that they missed meeting up with their home/rescue party will blow you away.

[@donaldkaiser6701]

I love your Chanel. I learn many things because of you. I was in the Army in the 80s. I had an asbestos mitten to change the barrel on my 50 cal and old barracks had floor tiles made with it too

[@kenycharles8600]

Asbestos is still used in grinding discs and brakes. It says so in the MSDS of both of these products.

[@alexanderstrickland9036]

Keny Charles holy shit. I had no idea. I always assumed the small fibers were fiber glass

[@bernieponcik1351]

* quote from my dad while we were changing brake pads back in the 80s. " Don't breathe that s***, it's bad for you." Then takes long drag from cigarette.

[@kenycharles8600]

@@alexanderstrickland9036 I've used up hundreds of the 4 1/2 inch grinding discs. But the information is there, printed on the sheet inside the box. Most people don't read it.

[@dusseau13]

Not in Akebono which are the best for do-it-yourselfers. "Until about the year 2000, asbestos was widely used as the raw material for friction materials because of its favorable properties for brakes, such as excellent thermal stability. In the 1970s, reports came in from overseas about the health hazards of asbestos. Immediately after, Akebono became one of the first companies in Japan to embark on the development of non-asbestos products. We led the industry in introducing non-asbestos products, and in 1992, all OEM (for automobile manufacturing plants) products for passenger cars were switched to non-asbestos. This was followed by a total shift to non-asbestos OEM products for commercial vehicles in 1994. Starting in the year 2000, production of asbestos products, including replacement parts, has been terminated."

[@thisismagacountry1318]

@@bernieponcik1351 You said cigarette, but you meant joint. ;)

[@thefrecklepuny]

Here in Britain, I remember being using asbestos heat resistant mats in Chemistry class at high school in the mid-1980s. Safe enough I guess unless deliberately broken. Certainly would not be allowed today.

[@sdc303]

In my school, we use a mesh with asbestos when heating flasks with a bunsen burner.

[@drewgehringer7813]

Nowadays they use a type of manmade fiberglass called Zetex with similar insulation properties but without the habit of turning into extra small 'fibrils' if broken or abraded

[@bigboyblue7181]

My Dad served in the Navy for 35 years and the ships he was on had asbestos on them. They figure that's how he got cancer and died.

[@mclarpet]

Dad used to bring asbestos rope home from the power station for mum to make gaskets for our stove and briquette heater. Needless to say, I had great fun playing with the stuff.

[@rexpimplemyer3839]

Thank you. I vaguely remembered that asbestos was a natural element, but with all the cancer hype since I had forgotten. Your refresh of its history is a welcome addition. Also one of MY fav channels as well.

[@obfuscated3090]

I left my asbestos shingle siding in place because it's a magnificent material for the job, far more durable than metal or vinyl siding. It's not friable and I shall not disturb it. BTW one way to control friable fibers is what we used in USAF aircraft crash recovery. Buckets of floor wax and sprayers are used to apply wax as "fixative" to burned composite fibers.Never disturb asbestos (or burned composite) unless you are trained, wearing full appropriate personal protective equipment, and fully understand and obey instructions for equipment operation and asbestos removal/disposal.

[@yes0r787]

Ob F- IMO your comment is the best on the page.

[@UltaPowderfinger]

I worked in a foundry for a while. Those who had been there long enough had asbestos gloves. The new guys had to use fiberglass gloves. The fiberglass gloves were stiff, caused accidents because one couldn't grasp things like you expected. Not only that, they did not last very long and caused one to itch. The asbestos gloves were awesome. They lasted forever, were very supple, and were deeply protected by those who had them. Everyone cheered when the 1991 decision to let them remain went through.

[@westmeathguy]

My family were from Thetford Mines and were miners there after leaving the farm. Interestingly enough, I asked my uncle if he recalled much illness from mining in the community. He said no, only accidents. It was open pit mining and twice a day they would blast. Sirens would go off first and town residents had to seek cover due to falling rocks. Pretty exciting for us kids. Imagine!

[@lornetaylor3025]

I lived there too. school was by the pit before it was moved up the road due to the need to expand the pit. Hills of tailing piles to play on,searching for fools gold.

[@josephdestaubin7426]

So as a contractor in the flooring industry 25 years ago I had a friend what the time is in his fifties you told me story that I will now relate to you. The major players in the flooring industry were Armstrong, Tarkett, and Azrock. Tarkett was attempting to compete with Armstrong in volume and needed to get ahead of Azrock. So basically if Tarkett could take away Asrock's customers then tarkett would be equal in size to Armstrong, or so their theory went. At one point Tarkett figured out how to make Asbestos free tiles with vynle (VCT). In order to pull customers away from Azrock, Tarket funded a study showing asbestos was a health hazard to the end user of the most common flooring product of the era asbestos composition tile (ACT). The point being, your video makes it sound as if people were just being abstinent about the obvious risks. But the truth is that on both sides of the asbestos debate there were considered and considerable shenanigans going on about the whole business.

[@Captain-ln3vh]

How does The History Guy always make this stuff so good and pertinent? Hats off man.

[@c28baby]

I remember my high school had to block off our science hallway for asbestos removal. Because this hallway was a short cut between the other hallways, we were given extra time between classes.

[@RhettyforHistory]

I had no idea asbestos usage went so far back. I remember when my school was getting rid of it in the 80's. I wonder what it is still being used in if the mines are closed.

[@highpath4776]

France was probably one of the last countries in the western world to ban the use in building products, running I think into the 1990s , most of the EU had banned it earlier (Spain also I think a bit late). I assume countries using it are getting it from China and Russia mainly now. Basically if controlled rather than just tipped around and if workers use proper breathing assistance equipment then maybe some Asbestos products could have a safe use, but the cheap and wanton uses of the past are probably not safe, and will continue to cause problems when they appear in places where they will not be wanted in the future.

[@mfbfreak]

In some chemical plants it's used in sealed reaction vessels. If the asbestos makes its way out of those, there are bigger problems to worry about... Asbestos is fine for professional use, by people who know how to use it. But because of the mining and all the deaths that the mining causes, it's horribly unethical to use.

[@fernandoi3389]

KZbin : A video about asbestos Me: Pfff , tell me something I don't already know Also me 16 mins later : Wait what ? OMG!!!!

[@leonerduk]

Yup. This is exactly why I watch The History Guy :)

[@dirus3142]

yep. What the fuck?! in outrage. Now I want to write all my representatives.

[@JPF941]

@@dirus3142 what for, they won't anything more then that have already.

[@MsMelvindoo]

I'm so with you on that. I had no clue it was used that long ago and had that much history! Mind blown!😳

[@joewhite917]

I went to college and studied Mechanical Engineering in the late 70's early 80s. One of the textbooks I had was from the 50s. Which stated that they knew asbostos had major health issues, but nothing had been found to replace it. Fiberglass has a similar problem with small glass fibers.

[@Toxictaff]

Love the work. Completely addicted! I took History in college in South Wales and our teacher must of been new because she was terrible at it but love learning history. And talking of history on dangerous substances to humans would love to hear your take on Leaded “4 Star” Petroleum,I think that discovery and it’s affects deserves to be remembered

[@robertadamcik9179]

You never really know the pain and expense of asbestos remediation until you volunteer on a 75 year old, city-owned, battleship museum. We'd have a lot more spaces open on WISCONSIN for our guests if it weren't for asbestos. It costs a lot to remove that stuff, and the city of Norfolk has only so much money to put towards those efforts.

[@victorcastle1840]

Robert Adamcik....The thing is it is OK as long as you don't disturb it . Probably safe until you do, try to remove it. It probably is covered with many coats of paint by now.

[@robertadamcik9179]

@@victorcastle1840 , tell that to the EPA. Asbestos and PCBs (along with other environmental hazards) must be removed before we can let the general public into a space.

[@benjaminbrewer2569]

Do a crowdfunder for removing the asbestos.

[@thisismagacountry1318]

Sink the Bismarck!!!

[@robertadamcik9179]

@@benjaminbrewer2569 , nice idea, but we use the proceeds from our two guided tours (the Command and Control tour that I give and our Engine Room/Fire Room tour) to directly fund our efforts.

[@TommyCrosby]

You know that the days of asbestos are over when the city of Asbestos, QC (mentioned in this video) and for a long time was home of the world's biggest mine of asbestos will officially change it's name this year.

[@michelhoude5031]

Val des sources

[@georgemckenna462]

Least we forget about the old Canadian mining town Asbestos. The space shuttle Challenger lift off rocket, had fuel line asbestos gaskets that were replaced with "safer" neoprene gaskets.

[@dhession64]

That thought (asbestos O rings on Challenger would've saved those astronauts) passed through my head as I watched that part of the video. It really was sad to see that played out over and over again on the news.

[@philtripe]

thats BS...

[@gilbertg7]

Asbestos is considering changing its name

[@senorsoupe]

@@gilbertg7 I grew up in the Eastern Townships near Asbestos (used to play Curling there) and there is a lot of resistance to changing the name. Folks of Asbestos are very proud of their town name, despite the mines having been closed for several years now

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

@@senorsoupe I do not quite understand either concept... renaming the town won't get rid fo the stain on its history as there will always be the little asterisk of "was named Asbestos up to 20xx" in history texts... and yet I do also not get the idea of being proud of a bloody placename to the point of resisting changing it if a good chunk of the population is for that.

[@danielsayre3385]

Cool. Wound up here because I wanted to know why we don't get shocked by our pots and pans when they're used on heating elements, wondered who thought of insulating them, went down a rabbit hole. Thanks for the video.

[@Lestat1795]

This channel is a true KZbin gem!

[@tisFrancesfault]

Asbestos is such an amazing material due to its properties. its truly unfortunate that its so harmful to us.

[@yes0r787]

It could have been so much fun.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Some of my father's fellow soldiers died from Mesothelioma. And the government denied all claims for extra medical procedures. Plus they denied any connections with cancer. Sadly it's too late for my father and his comrades to recieve any restitution or apologies! RIP Dad !😪

[@bernieponcik1351]

I'm sorry for your loss. I hope that your dad had a rich life in the years that he had.

[@flagmichael]

Some early gas masks had asbestos in the filters. I think it was only a German model but I'm not sure about that.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@bernieponcik1351 Thank you!

[@daveshrum1749]

I'm sorry for your loss. And some things never change. Our government does the same stuff today. And before the pro Trump and anti Trump people start attacking me I mean any government not just the current one.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@daveshrum1749 Sad but true!

[@albinoman13bt]

Just so you know, your brake pads still contain asbestos. At the parts store you'll see them described as "metallic" "semi-metallic" or "ceramic", but that is only the part that isnt asbestos. You naturally inhale a fair amount every day, it is a family of common minerals after all, and most especially if you drive on gravel roads.

[@AcmeRacing]

This is why I always wet things down before working on brakes. It's best to keep the dust down and work outdoors so you inhale as little of it as possible. Occupational exposure levels are dangerous, but I'm not that concerned about one careful brake job every few years on my hobby cars.

[@jessicamoores181]

We Enjoy EVERY SINGLE EPISODE!!! Very Single One! God Bless You and Heidi and All History Buff🇺🇸👍👏❤️🤩

[@powerhousejp]

I spent the last 6 months on the job remediating this stuff; what a happy surprise to see a History Guy episode on it!

[@burkezillar]

My Dad worked on the buildings in the UK ever since he migrated there from Ireland in 1957. It'd be about 9 years now when I came home and he told me he had lung cancer. It was caused by exposure to asbestos, and he knew exactly when he got it. He and a friend were cutting asbestos pipes without any PPE (as it was 1970's Britain and they didn't know what Health & Safety was), and that's when they got it. His friend was diagnosed about 3 months before my Dad. And my Dad died 6 months after his friend did. It's awful to see anyone going through chemo and treatement for cancer, but it's doubly bad when they're robbed of breath even bending over to pick something up. It's truly horrific. It's also worth mentioning that asbestos was used in clutches and brake pads/discs up until 2000 in Europe. So if you pick up an old car, it'll have these Asbestos stickers on them. Don't ignore them, because your children really don't want to carry your coffin that way.

[@thomasbiel7741]

Asbestos is now the Mother of all Cash Cows for trial lawyers.

[@vincentconti3633]

I just posted how my old man received $45,000 and was never sick...he died at 92.

[@bryantsteury8910]

@@vincentconti3633 Probably coated his lungs with asbestos to keep them safe from asbestos

[@fordfan3179]

No amount of money can erase that horror show.

[@kansascityshuffle8526]

I have an uncle (railway pipe fitter/plumber) who died from asbestosis just managed to get on the lawsuit docket. Glad my aunt was able to get something for his untimely demise.

[@kansascityshuffle8526]

D Das mining was stopped in 2012 an outright ban in place since October 2018 in Canada. Save for a few specialized products.

[@jeffreystroman2811]

As a child I remember when our toaster stopped working and my father took it apart to see if it could be fixed. Turns out it was lined with asbestos, lots of dry flaking asbestos, he decided not to fix it.

[@mfbfreak]

If it flakes, it is probably mica. Mica is used a lot in heating elements. Asbestos is more like rough cotton wool or soft cardboard.

[@jeffreystroman2811]

LimaVictor definitely the rough cotton description and up against the nicrome elements. My pop was a roofer and local 19 sheet metal union, not one to make others worry he called me over to show me (and not my mom and sister) and then quietly slipped the toaster into our shop's trash can. Rest assured if my dad said it was asbestos, you don't want to breathe it in.

[@yes0r787]

Jeffery Stroman- Good story. Thank you for sharing that here.

[@FerdoFulgosi]

I made a prototype of a fireman suit from asbestos material in 1991. I remember I destroyed two large leather scissors in the process. That material was horribly hard to cut. The company didn't win that tender, but the fact is that asbestos was still being used for firemen in 1991.

[@KennethBaker53]

Thank you for producing this one. I had no idea that asbestos was naturally occurring, or that it's uses went back thousands of years. My father worked as an insulator after he was discharged from the Army after WWII. He worked both in shipyards and then ultimately in a chemical plant where he applied asbestos insulation to piping. He began to have health issues and eventually had to retire (early) in 1978. He, along with other men from the plant, brought suit against the chemical company, Johns-Manville, and other manufacturers and was awarded a settlement that allowed him to live comfortably (but modestly) for the rest of his life. As I watched your video, I experienced emotions ranging from shock, anger, and then ultimately sadness that the dangers of the product were known as early as the turn of the last century, but that they were concealed by the manufacturers, as you say, to protect their profits. While he did live to the ripe old age of 80, how much longer might he have lived, and how much better might his later years have been, if he had not been exposed to something that they clearly knew was dangerous. Perhaps my son and daughter would know their grandfather if profits were not more important than his life. He died in 2005.

[@workingguy-OU812]

I'm probably going t have complications from asbestos. During the recession I needed a job, and worked for a selective-demolition company who would take jobs without construction permits. They'd make us work on the weekends, or the middle of the nights, when city inspectors weren't rolling around to see the work being done. No regulations or permits meant closed-doors and windows to gut 'historic' Fort Lauderdale locations. Dusty as all hell inside, and I'm sure it all got put into landfills - after blowing asbestos dust down the roads and highways from the barely-tarped roll-off-truck or dump-trailers.

[@ukemike1]

About 5 times a year I see news stories about companies like that. When they get caught the fines are in the millions and the bosses go to prison. You might want to put in an anonymous tip to the local EPA office.

[@playgroundchooser]

My wife is from Libby, Montana. All too familiar with the devastation that asbestos can bring to a community.

[@RadDadisRad]

I will say that asbestos was extensively used everything industrial. I see it all the time in foundries and mines. Here’s where it upsets me. When I was performing electrical work on these places nobody put cautionary signs up warning that asbestos was present. Asbestos training isn’t performed because people don’t want to scare people. I have been trained and know what asbestos looks like but people always defer to the phrase “no, nobody said that this was asbestos.”

[@flagmichael]

It is okay if it is present, just don't disturb it. At work we went through a company-wide asbestos abatement cycle in the '90s and '00s. The great majority of it was in floor tiles and the adhesive used to hold them down.

[@828enigma6]

@@flagmichael Where I would imagine it presented little to no hazard.

[@brianperry150]

Did a hydrolic replacement job at one of the water pumping stations in Toronto. I don't know anything about hydrolics. A buddy who got the contract hired me as his bitch..anyhoo, we both walk in and the first place we have to go is to a class room where were educated on asbestos. It is a very common mineral everwhere in the world, usually exposed to the open air in rock strata. the wind picks up the fibres and throws it into the atmosphere. It is everywhere. You're breathing it in now. However it is of such low trace amounts everyone can handle it. It becomes serious when you are exposed to concentrated amounts over long periods of time. If anything it no longer scares me as I am informed by this half day course

[@traxiii]

Those of us that work in heavy industry, especially in old buildings, have been learning about this stuff in yearly safety training for at least the last 20 years or so, though you added some interesting uses and items.

[@rodh2168]

My father was the manager of the asbestos mine at Wittenoom in Western Australia in the late '40's. During our time there everyone in our family was exposed to asbestos: me, a toddler, and my two older brothers, 8 & 10 at the time plus mom and dad. In the mid-'70's we were contacted about possible illness from asbestos. X-rays showed my older brothers did indeed have asbestos fibres in their lungs. Biopsies showed the fibres were encapsulated and perhaps not an issue. Mesothelioma can take a very long time to rear its ugly head. Both my older brothers died from mesothelioma, the oldest in 2009 and the next in 2021. Whittenoom was Australia's largest industrial disaster. Other asbestos mine sites around the world tell similar stories. Many hushed up by complicit governments.

[@henryvegter8773]

Thanks for sharing your family’s experience. How about your dad and mom? Myself I was exposed over 24 years in US Navy - shipboard logistics and supply management - I have a clean bill of health thank God. I remember the asbestos warning stickers on supplies since I joined in’81.

[@rodh2168]

@@henryvegter8773 Mom and dad not affected even though dad was a smoker 'til mid-70's. Long lives for both: 89 for mom, 93 for dad.

[@AgnostosGnostos]

In Greece asbestos were used in ELENIT roof tiles and many house still have this kind of tiles.

[@misterz2719]

In the US we still have many asbestos roofs that are still good.

[@ChaplainDaveSparks]

I remember taking college chemistry in the early 1970s and using asbestos pads to sit hot glassware on!

[@garethbaus5471]

We use a wire mesh or wood most of the time now.

[@sdc303]

We're currently using that thing in my school

[@drewgehringer7813]

@@sdc303 yours might use one of the types of glass fiber invented to replace asbestos, instead

[@Echowhiskeyone]

Just like fiberglass is safe, until you sand, cut or grind it. Then you need to wear so much protective gear, you may as well be wearing a full body suit and respirator.

[@bryede]

That's true, except it's also dangerous when used in a loose form like thermal wraps where it can continually give off dust.

[@anotheruser676]

@@bryede ...and exposure to liquids, vibration, and force air movement will degrade it over time.

[@FelixMeister]

The difference is in the fibres. Asbestos fibres are finer but still long. That means that they will penetrate deep into the longs but are also impossible for the body to remove. Fibreglass fibres are not fine enough to get deep into the lung and break laterally, so while acutely bad they will not remain in the lungs permanently. That's the problem with asbestos, once it's in the lungs it doesn't come out. It just stays in there causing damage over and over until cancer develops.

[@charlesachurch7265]

You never fail to fascinate .A big tip of the hat to you Sir.

[@jedgrahek1426]

Nice, I've listened to many other people mention Salamanders or even talk about them at length while never being able to explain their relationship with fire. That's great to finally know.

[@Error-5478]

It's kinda strange how such a durable and useful material, as well as being partially renewable, is so dangerous. It's almost ironic.

[@yes0r787]

Error- How is asbestos renewable?

[@OmegaTou]

A perfect example of trade-offs. There are likely still uses where the benefits justify the risks, but a blanket ban is so much easier to execute.

[@Dr_Do-Little]

How much for you to take the risk?

[@PSUQDPICHQIEIWC]

The unfashionable concept of acceptable risk aside, consider asking whether it has value beyond its convenience. In other words, does it have properties which are still comparatively difficult to match with modern materials? All I can offer are my experiences. I doubt there are many here in the comments that have ever worked with asbestos paper or ever tried to specify a functional replacement that is capable of the high temperature service. It (was) an inexpensive material which has excellent refractory properties. When wet, asbestos paper loses much of its shear strength, allowing it to be formed from a flat sheet into a custom-fit lining (e.g. for the inside of a heater assembly). These properties often make it difficult or impractical to replace damaged asbestos paper in old things. The most easily available modern refractory paper is made from polymer-bound mica (the binder has to be burned off). Unfired mica paper is flexible and somewhat formable, but not nearly to the same degree. Its maximum service temperature is also lower. A lot of things that were designed with asbestos paper were engineered around these material properties. Mica paper may not work if the heating element melts right through it. Are there ceramic refractory materials that would do better? I don't know of any that are available in formable paper or thin sheet form, and I certainly don't know of any which are easily available in small quantities, let alone at comparable expense. What are the hazards and limitations of those? So yeah, at least in my narrow experience, some asbestos products do trivially provide technical performance that's not easily matched with modern materials. Of course, I'm not asking youtube for engineering advice on the subject. The traditional response is going to be either trained hysterics or some pointless self-amused comment amounting to "ok boomer". It's just frustrating when faced with a simple engineering challenge that most people are proud to believe cannot still exist.

[@OmegaTou]

@@PSUQDPICHQIEIWC I agree. Unfortunately, government scare tactics are so effective with most people that it becomes difficult/impossible to change course down the line. Just in this video alone there are so many examples of applications that were simple, cheap, and amazingly effective, for which no modern material can substitute. We will never know how many lives could have been SAVED by the use of asbestos products, to weigh against the negative health effects of its use. There is the potential that we will see something similar in the future with nanomaterial. It's my understanding that some of them have an effect similar to asbestos if they get into the lungs.

[@OmegaTou]

@@Dr_Do-Little As much as is warranted by the benefits. Just like when I climb into a automobile every morning to get to work. Probably the single most dangerous thing I do in my daily life. The benefits outweigh the risks.

[@PSUQDPICHQIEIWC]

Its uses make the consideration of its performance with respect to modern alternatives a very broad subject. I should point out that my own needs in retrofitting are limited by the fact that the thermal design had already been done 90 years ago. I could certainly design an equivalent device which could use mica paper, but I'd have to design it around the properties of mica paper; consequently, its geometry would be different. There are hazards that come with all materials. Any silicate material which can easily be pulverized and made airborne will pose risks to the lungs, especially with prolonged/routine exposure. As to why certain extant risks are undeniable and others inconceivable, I'm sure you know well enough that there's little room to expect people to behave contrary to how they are taught. While one might train a dog to alert them of intruders, it should be unsurprising if the dog barks at the mailman too.

[@JW-lo1ts]

Steve McQueen died of Asbestosis, after exposure on board ships, while a Marine, Admiral Zumwalt also died of Asbestosis.

[@shanek6582]

J W, I’d say you’re right about McQueen and asbestos but him smoking five packs a day didn’t help.

[@andrerousseau887]

For sure.. the asbestos is like a sponge.. He also used asbestos mask for racing.. what an idea...

[@johngeorge1294]

Have worked with paint, roofing, and other forms of asbestos but thankfully never experienced serious problems. Of course never was told about it either. Great program, thank you.

[@accutronitisthe2nd95]

History Guy, you make any and all history very interesting, I could listen to you talk about history all-day and then do the same tomorrow!