Author: Martin Ditkof

Where History Means Knowledge. Be Informed.

The Disappearing Blog on Chrysotile Asbestos

The Failure of Science Having completed my last two Blogs on Crocidolite Asbestos and Amosite Asbestos, both within the amphibole family, I was going to finally address the history surrounding the serpentine Chrysotile Asbestos. However, having again reviewed the historical science, I have decided to pass rather than to delve into science mixed with politics.…
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Did South Africa save us in World War II? Amosite Asbestos. It’s History and Uses.

Amosite Asbestos fibers are nasty stuff which you should avoid breathing at all costs. Amosite Asbestos (also known as asbestiform grunerite) is generally considered the second most dangerous form of asbestos after crocidolite. Amosite is only known to exist in the Transvaal region of South Africa but was widely shipped to and used in the…
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Crocidolite Asbestos. So, What is this Stuff?

Let’s talk Crocidolite Asbestos, otherwise known as Blue Asbestos or, if mined in South Africa, Cape Asbestos. This is the most dangerous of all the asbestos and is currently not mined anywhere in the world. Even though it was only a small amount of the asbestos mined and sold, studies show that Crocidolite Asbestos is…
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Even Spiderman could be ensnared by Asbestos. Asbestos and the Comics.

My Blog today is meant for just some light reading. As the purpose of my Blogs is to bring asbestos history to life, I thought that I would reach back to when Marvel Comics was much younger and the word Asbestos meant something different that it does today. Asbestos and its associated diseases are nothing…
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Even Good Companies Mess Up. Let’s talk General Motors.

Several of my Blogs have focused on Johns-Manville and the historical documents which evidence egregious misconduct in the 1930s and 1940s which even today cost people their lives. That is why historical facts are useful and historical documents which prove those facts bring transparency and the opportunity to understand and learn. Some of the issues…
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Lessons We Learn from Bridgerton

By now, some of you have read up on the asbestos trouble discovered in the rented London studio for the Netflix production Bridgerton. If not, then go to the link at https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/bridgertons-cursed-production-studios-abandoned-23234111. What a mess, and a dangerous mess at that. Imagine asbestos falling on your face, similar to what happened to a construction manager.…
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Welcome to Manville, N.J. Circa Late 1930s

I plan to present History through many writing styles. Please enjoy reading this change of pace as much as I have enjoyed creating it. Let’s set the scene. For this Blog, I have created a husband and wife named George and Frances Kowalski who work and live with their two children, Lou age 12 and…
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What if I Touch, Eat, or Drink Asbestos Fibers. Or, Might you have Asbestos in your Beer?

We all know about inhaling asbestos fibers, so what about touching, eating, or drinking the fibers which otherwise are naturally in the air all around us. This has not been as extensively studied as has inhalation, but there is enough to piece together some pretty solid answers. Below is a Blog by Attorney John Browne…
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Unexpected Asbestos Exposures

The lead photograph which I am using for this Blog is one of my favorite Johns-Manville asbestos advertisements. The casual nature of the asbestos identification and pride in its use shows just how prevalent incorporating asbestos fibers into products was in during the 1960s and the 1970s. Who would have thought, now looking back 50…
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A Call to Arms

There are few times in the history of asbestos that the voice of the public really means anything. This is one of those times. A few days ago, on December 30th, the United States Environmental Protection Agency released its final assessment identifying risks to workers and consumers from the current uses of asbestos. They are…
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