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Where History Means Knowledge. Be Informed.

Mavis Nye: A Force to be Reckoned With

Many of you know Mavis Nye, if not personally then by reputation. Mavis is a 12 year Mesothelioma survivor living in the U.K. who takes a leading role internationally in education, cheer leading, and fund raising for all Meso Warriors. In working on my book on asbestos, I have come to know Mavis and her…
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Where Might I find Historical Asbestos Information Related to Electrical Products and Electricians?

In my library, of course. I have a large collection of historical books discussing the use of asbestos by electricians in electrical components. One of my favorites is an 864 page manual by General Electric Supply Corporation published by in 1941 under the name Wiring Materials Power Apparatus. This manual discusses in detail the General…
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The Weird World of Chrysotile Asbestos

On March 5, 2021, I begged out of delving into the political aspects of Chrysotile Asbestos. Rather, I just laid out the history which, of course, is my forte. https://theasbestosblog.com/?p=2052. I stand by that history today and would like to note that the world seems divided on the extent of the danger from raw, pure…
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Asbestos Substitutes: A little History

For those of you interested in the developmental history for asbestos substitutes, I have chosen to discuss this week the EPA Model Asbestos Worker & Contractor/Supervisory Training Manual, Student’s Manual provided for abatement training in the mid-1990s. To be clear, I have a number of other publications discussing the status of inventing substitutes and the…
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Searching for Asbestos History: Another Good Resource Example

This blog continues my discussion on historical resources available to search asbestos exposures; this time, with a focus on a United Kingdom authored and published book from 1919. The book is entitled Asbestos and the Asbestos Industry: The World’s Most Wonderful Mineral and Other Fireproof Materials authored by A. Leonard Summers as part of the…
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Asbestos Fundamentals: A 1963 Primer to Understand History

Last week, my Blog addressed a 148 page dynamo book originally written in German by Hans Berger and then translated in 1966 to English by Professor Ralph Oesper of the University of Cincinnati on the historical use of asbestos in plastics and rubbers. Today, we move back three years to 1963 and we broaden the…
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Back to Historical Basics: The Use of Asbestos in Plastics and Rubber

I remember a meeting with a friend sometime during 2010ish in which he stated “What do you mean using asbestos in plastics? That never happened.” My response was “I have a book from 1966 entitled Asbestos with Plastics and Rubber which begs to differ with you.” After he read the book, opinions gave way to…
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Challenger Ch 3: The US Air Force Academy Library, Special Collection; How do you define Amazing? How do you Remember the Great Escape?

As I previously mentioned, my research into the Challenger Disaster has been aided by a Clark-Yudkin Research Fellowship from the US Air Force Academy Library, Special Collections.  As I used their resources this week, let me tell you about a kid in a candy shop. First, you may ask, is why would this Library have…
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The Challenger and Asbestos Putty: So, why is this Even an Issue Worth Discussing? Chapter 2.

This Blog is Chapter 2 in our discussion on the January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Chapter 1 was the most widely viewed Blog since I began blogging in December 2020 and I appreciate the feedback and comments. Given the passage of time, you may be wondering why the putty is even an issue…
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Fireside Chat: Let’s talk Asbestos. Let’s talk the Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion. Let’s talk both. Lesson No. 1

The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion was so grievous that many of us remember our exact location on January 28, 1986 at 11:38 a.m. EST; for me, that was in a restaurant next to the Union Bank Building in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a bunch of the attorneys watching the launch on a big screen television.…
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