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 years, that asbestos being used as a component of a road was something to be bragged about? For most of us, we would not even know about this use of asbestos without the historical trail such as the advertisements or product brochures. I have seen estimates that as many as 6000 products at one point or another incorporated asbestos fibers in order to utilize one of its several characteristics that made it a Magical Mineral.

A good starting point to understand the breadth of use for asbestos comes to us from Harry Vonk. Harry runs a Museum in the Netherlands which provides an amazing introduction to household and other unexpected asbestos exposures. My thanks to Mavis Nye of the U.K. for introducing me to Harry, his Museum, and the video below, which I am sharing with Harry’s permission.

Asbestos in the home or older buildings is fairly common. The key is to keep the existing asbestos encapsulated, such as within walls or under old floor tiles, so that no fibers are released. If you purchase a home or other building constructed prior to the 1990s, it is worth ensuring that your home inspection covers the potential locations of asbestos.

The above book, which is available for loan should you want additional details, has a section which lists the asbestos containing construction components which were still being used in 1985 such as textiles, concrete-like products, piping, paper products, roofing felts, putties and adhesives, tiles, sheet goods, sealants, mastics, and more. The Environmental Protection Agency in the book also identifies asbestos containing laboratory aprons, gloves, cord, rope, fire blankets and curtains as then being common in schools.

As for personal use products, many of us have seen the recent talc lawsuit filings which allege asbestos contamination. Realistically, the potential exposure to asbestos in today’s world is not just limited to talc as potentially contaminating baby powder. Alert: Tests Find High Levels of Asbestos in Children’s Makeup Kit | EWG. A quick Google search shows potential exposures in children’s toys, crayons, and a number of other products.

If we go back in time, asbestos was a regular part of day to day life. Please note that in the April/May 1971 Girl Scout Leader Magazine, it instructed: “When using asbestos powder, listed as a modeling material in Moreabouts for Brownie Girl Scout Leaders (page 64) and the Junior Girl Scout Handbook (page 184), remember … Always work in well ventilated area when mixing the powder, allowing the dust to disperse.”

That was terrible advice for 1971, and yet it was presumably relied upon by Girl Scout Leaders as they worked with the kids on projects and dispersed the raw asbestos fibers into the air and then into their lungs. You have to wonder if some of the asbestos related diseases today are potentially related to those kids, their nearby siblings, or the leader inhaling those fibers.

One thing about History is that you can run from it but not hide. If raw asbestos fibers were available to purchase at the local hardware stores throughout the United States during that era, we must consider how many similar projects for other organizations were liberating the fibers into the ecosystem and into our lungs. How many of the Mesotheliomas, Lung Cancers, and Asbestosis that we are now experiencing could have been prevented with just a little bit better knowledge and the discipline to act on that knowledge?

Did I mention that the Asbestos Information Association/North America in February 1973 undertook a personal interview research study and found that only 22 percent of the American public were aware of the health hazards of asbestos, and that 80% of those believed that the hazard only existed for people occupationally exposed. As such, the information about the health hazards related to asbestos exposure were well known to those in the asbestos industry during the early 1970s, but just not shared by industry with the general public. Unfortunately, we are likely still paying as a society for that decision.

So, keeping in mind the History, how do we protect our families from current inadvertent exposures? Initially, you will never have complete knowledge of the components used in any particular home or personal item from that era without identification and testing. That being said, my recommendations as a starting point are as follows:

1. When purchasing a home which was constructed prior to 2000, ensure that the home inspection includes looking for asbestos containing material;
2. Should you have old memorabilia in the attic, basement, or other storage which you inherited or are saving for your kids, inspect them closely and, if you have any questions, call your local health department to find out about local testing or other identification options;
3. Join chat groups on the Internet. You will find several that try to help you from pictures and descriptions; and
4. If all else fails, ask me for suggestions on additional resources which may be available to help.

Given that we are talking about the long term health of you and your family, focusing on the risk of asbestos in unexpected locations is worth the time and effort.