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Where History Means Knowledge. Be Informed.

ASBESTOS IN 1905: AT LEAST THE ENGLISH CAN BLAME THE SCOTS

One of my favorite asbestos history books was written by Fritz Cirkel in 1905 entitled Canadian Government Report on Asbestos: Asbestos, its Occurrence, Exploitation and Uses. This book goes all the way back in terms of commercial use and is filled with pictures and facts rarely seen elsewhere, including many involving England. Let’s start at…
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Editorial Number Two: Why is the United States System more of a lottery than a search for fairness, justice, and the truth?

The primary purpose of a civil court system is generally to provide access to the public, with the goal of searching for fairness, justice, and the truth while at the same time providing finality. At least, that is the way that most people generally view the nature and purpose of civil courts. These courts are…
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Editorial: Why do the Residents of the United States get the Lion’s Share of the Money?

I am just off the road from a summer trip with family and friends and would like to get back into researching and providing to you my weekly asbestos blogs that focus on history related issues. Let me know if you have any particular questions which you would like to see addressed. Today’s blog is…
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Commercial and Industrial Uses of Asbestos: What, Where, and Estimated Releases to Air, Water, and Land.

This one is special. I often see questions about whether a certain product discovered at an industrial or commercial site might be asbestos. If you run across this issue in your job, then I have a “go to” resource for you to use as a starting point. No pictures, unfortunately (although the Owens Corning Picture…
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Back to Manville, N.J. History: Mary Limyansky

I may overly post about the people who made history at Manville, N.J., but I think that the first hand statements of the residents, especially those who had family working at the Johns-Manville facility, add a lot of context to that history. This story by Mary Limyansky is told in Ellis Island, the Coal Mines,…
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Asbestos Removal Done Right: United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel and a two and one-half Year Delay

The United States Air Force Academy Cadel Chapel is a destination location here in Colorado Springs. Construction began in 1959, when asbestos was generally considered safe in the building trades. The Chapel has been closed for a few years for reconstruction and, now that asbestos has been located, they are delaying the re-opening from October…
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Any of my Attorney Readers looking for extra work? Low pay (maybe no pay), Incredible Personal Satisfaction, Lives on the Line, Cutting Edge Issues? Make a Name for Yourself?

As I begin to focus on my Master’s in History thesis number two, this one on asbestos exposure to ship-breaking workers, I am looking for any attorneys (let’s start off with United States based) who might have the time, desire, and inclination to help; help the overseas ship-breaking workers, that is, and not my thesis.…
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NAVY RELATED EXPOSURES TO ASBESTOS: LIBERTY SHIPS DURING AND AFTER WW II

By the end of World War II, the US Navy had grown from a fleet of roughly 700 commissioned ships to more than 6,000, each one bearing a unique name and constructed as part of a class of ships. This blog will focus on the Liberty Class of ships that were so essential to the war…
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SUMMARY OF MY ASBESTOS BLOGS TO DATE

Since I started blogging when I entered my Master’s in History program, I have blogged 64 times. As it is tough to track these blogs, below is a total listing with links. I plan to continue this work as I focus my research on asbestos exposures to shipbreakers and then expand this work to ship…
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Global Asbestos Awareness Week: April 1 – 7, 2022

This will be my shortest blog, ever. Still, it is very important. April 1 through 7, 2022 has been designated as Global Asbestos Awareness Week, including a lot of activities for those people with an interest in asbestos related diseases. Linda Reinstein at the ADAO (Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization) is certainly taking an active role…
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