From: Paintball Plus (pball@csionline.net)
Date: Fri Jan 17 2003 - 15:20:27 PST
Hi guys,
It is asbestosis that you need to be concerned about. Not only is it
found in older insulation, it is also in things like old brake pads (not
used any longer in the US) that were commonly used by the military. The
asbestos was ground into the brake drum, so not only the dust from the
brakes were dangerous, so was the dust created from cutting the drums.
It takes very little asbestos to become asbestosis in the lungs.
However, it is not that easily encapsulated in the lungs unless the
cells have been damaged by - you guessed it, smoking. And what
percentage of mechanics smoked in the sixties and seventies? Silly
question, as you could probably count the number who did not smoke on
one hand. Non smokers needed considerably more exposure to asbestos than
smokers, although those exposed to a great deal of "second hand smoke"
had almost as much chance of developing asbestosis as the smokers did.
Asbestos particles are micro particles, like little slivers of glass,
and a common dust mask will not prevent them from passing into your
lungs any more than if the mask was not even there. A HEPA (high
efficiency particulate air) filter is required for the blocking of
asbestos. In the eighties, the US military purchased special rolling
booths that were large enough to pull the wheels and drums within this
booth, and any excess dust wash vacuumed into a special container. It
was also possible to wash the drum inside the booth. The old brake
shoes were removed from the axle within the booth, as well. Special HEPA
bags were used to dispose of the old shoes as hazardous waste. the
systems were very expensive (10 - 30,000 dollars each) and were really
not that effective. Eventually, brake shoes with asbestos were no longer
used by the Military, and then any US Government agency.
Once you get asbestosis or mesothelioma, which is a cancer caused by the
asbestos in the lungs, there is no reversal of the process and the lungs
become increasingly ineffective in exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide
in the blood. The rest is ............ history.
As far as working on the trucks now, the chances of a truck having the
original 30 year old brakes are probably pretty slim. My answer to the
question is - I let someone else change the brakes.
Bruce
-- Bruce KalinUSMC MTA MVPA North Jersey MTA South Jersey MVPA
USMC M35A2C W/W M2 50 cal, TVS-2 Night Vision Scope M16 x 2 RT-246, PRC-77, VIC/1 Deep Water Fording Kit
M105A2 w/ rust :-)
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