Author: Martin Ditkof

Where History Means Knowledge. Be Informed.

Summary of Prior Blogs

My last blog summary listing was on March 30, 2024. As the blogs that contain a summary always receive a good viewership, it is time for an updated chart. The below include the topic, the date, and a link to the particular blogs. Please enjoy. Thanks. Marty Blog Title Date Blog Location 1 Asbestos, a…
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Let’s Detour from History to the Potential of AI to Create its own Future History in Asbestos: Amazing Things are Happening

As I start my summer break from the classroom and updating my three thesis, I have been giving some thought to ways in which AI might change various issues about asbestos: detecting Asbestos Containing Material, helping streamline the work in the labs, analyzing asbestos, and “on and on.” What I found in a simple Google…
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1931: Asbestosis of the Lungs, Spleen, and Lymph Nodes, and the Potential Similarity with Tuberculosis

By 1931, the medical community in the United States was well aware that even light asbestos exposure was dangerous and needed more study. The eight page pamphlet titled Asbestosis: Report of Two Cases published in the Archives of Pathologies during December 1931 (my copy is a reprint by the American Medical Association) is loaded with…
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1919: A Comprehensive Look at Asbestos from London by Leonard Summers

In 1919, Leonard Summers published in London the very first comprehensive book on asbestos. How do we know that? Well, because he modestly states so in the Forward to his book titled Asbestos and the Asbestos Industry: The World’s Most Wonderful Mineral and Other Fireproof Materials. Summers states: “Until the completion of this work, there…
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1805: The Leading Exporters of Asbestos are Scotland, Sweden, Saxony, and Dauphiny

I have a prior blog that mentions asbestos first becoming commercialized in England during the 1830s. See https://theasbestosblog.com/?p=11519. I guess it depends on how one defines “commercialized.” Let’s look at a few decades prior to the 1830s. Take the 1805 London publication titled Short Characters of Earths: with Notes according to the Improvements of Klaproth,…
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2001:The EPA’s Toxicological Profile for Asbestos

The EPA’s September 2001 “Toxicological Profile for Asbestos” is an interesting 190 page publication for those who only have one day or so to get up to speed; that is, it is overloaded with the basic information and history for those attorneys who will be taking depositions and non-attorneys who just want to know more…
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Asbestos Issues at the Illinois Beach State Park and What is Next.

My third and final thesis for my masters program is titled “South African Blue Asbestos Fibers at the Illinois Beach State Park: Mistakes of our Past, Concerns for the future” located at https://theasbestosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IBSP-5-52024.pdf. I hope that you find it interesting and informative. Although this paper focuses on issues in Illinois, the paradox of satisfying safety/environmental…
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Research Thesis Number 3: Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel

I am just about done with my third research thesis as required for the Master’s in History Program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. This thesis is tentatively titled: SOUTH AFRICAN BLUE ASBESTOS FIBERS AT THE ILLINOIS BEACH STATE PARK: MISTAKES OF OUR PAST AND LESSONS FOR OUR FUTURE I have a few…
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Challenger Tragedy and Asbestos: My April 20, 2024 Presentation at the P.A.T. Colorado Regional Conference

I presented yesterday at the P.A.T. (a history fraternity) Colorado Regional Conference held in Colorado Springs, using my Challenger thesis as the centerpiece of the discussion. My topic was researching whether the January 28, 1986 Challenger tragedy was caused by an asbestos substitute that failed. For those of you who have not yet read that…
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1950 Minerals Survey: Amosite Fibers take Flight

I love to learn. For this project, I was reviewing the 1950 Minerals Survey on asbestos created by the Department of the Interior for the National Security Resources Board. This publication is available on the Hathi Digital Trust and includes a substantial global discussion on asbestos, focusing on each country and many of the products.…
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