Did you know asbestos is still being used in car brakes?

[fleabag]

http://www.seattlepi.com/uncivilaction/brks16.shtml


Seriously messed up stuff, I can't believe that even today, we're still using asbestos in car brakes yet they banned it as a fire retardant where 99% of the time, it is undisturbed and that to be is retardant... Yes I realize the article is old but even then, we're STILL using asbestos in brake pads to this day because the ban was overturned when the asbestos industry sued the EPA back in the 80s for banning it.

 

[Sea Moose]

yes, but it is being phased out

 

[fleabag]

Originally posted by: Sea Moose
yes, but it is being phased out

Yeah but they've been "phasing it out" for decades, just like drum brakes.

 

[Sea Moose]

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Sea Moose
yes, but it is being phased out

Yeah but they've been "phasing it out" for decades, just like drum brakes.

Oh... I thought there was a set deadline or somthing...

Should be using ceramic brakes anyway

 

[RagingBITCH]

"At a Seattle outlet for a national parts chain, a sales clerk said, "None of the brakes we sell have asbestos. It was banned." The clerk invited a reporter into the storeroom to see for herself.

The first box of brakes the clerk handed her was plainly marked "contains asbestos."

He told her the interview was over and asked her to leave."

That's one way to finish an interview.

 

[Sea Moose]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
"At a Seattle outlet for a national parts chain, a sales clerk said, "None of the brakes we sell have asbestos. It was banned." The clerk invited a reporter into the storeroom to see for herself.

The first box of brakes the clerk handed her was plainly marked "contains asbestos."

He told her the interview was over and asked her to leave."

That's one way to finish an interview.

Haha what a tool for not checking first.

 

[McCarthy]

How frightening. Especially since no other particulate matter has a cancer link and dust has been banned.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
"At a Seattle outlet for a national parts chain, a sales clerk said, "None of the brakes we sell have asbestos. It was banned." The clerk invited a reporter into the storeroom to see for herself.

The first box of brakes the clerk handed her was plainly marked "contains asbestos."

He told her the interview was over and asked her to leave."

That's one way to finish an interview.

Pwnage!


hahahahahah please let this be on youtube.

 

[nageov3t]

I guess I should stop huffing the fumes around my brakes?

 

[0roo0roo]

yea some people were so sure it was a thing of the past, i remember some poster was adamant about it in a car thread. so much for that.

poor mechanics though...no jobs worth breathing asbestos dust

 

[Wheezer]

They are exposed to far more dangerous things than asbestos.

I guess if you never have yourself, or known anyone who had ever worked on a car...this would be a shocker...but for a vast majority of car owners...nothing new here.

 

[nerp]

THe people who got sick with aesbestos worked in aesbestos factories or demolition crews and breathed in massive amounts of the stuff. Unless it's broken up into particulate form, it's pretty much harmless. It was ripped from school buildings out of an excess of caution. Worrying about aesbestos brakes is an overreaction -- unless, of course, you plan on licking your brakes after a hard stop.

In fact, many houses with aesbestos siding are safe. Building officials around the country will tell you that it's OK to leave old siding on if you want. And to remove it, you don't need to hire a special crew. Just be careful not to break it apart, ware a face mask and bundle the panels together and tie them up so they can be disposed of accordingly when you bring them to the dump.

OP -- if you're worried about bad chemicals entering your body, take a look at the ingredient list of some of the packaged food you eat on a daily basis. That should be more worrisome to you.

 

[LilPima]

My car didn't come with a warning label, I'm suing


kidding

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: nerp
THe people who got sick with aesbestos worked in aesbestos factories or demolition crews and breathed in massive amounts of the stuff. Unless it's broken up into particulate form, it's pretty much harmless. It was ripped from school buildings out of an excess of caution. Worrying about aesbestos brakes is an overreaction -- unless, of course, you plan on licking your brakes after a hard stop.

It isn't a concern for normal people, but it needs to be gotten rid of for mechanics. I'd be interested in seeing a analysis of the air around a toll booth also. There's a good chance that there's a higher than average asbestos content around them.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

People are seriously worrying about this? It's like worrying about getting black lung from barbeque.

 

[Sea Moose]

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: nerp
THe people who got sick with aesbestos worked in aesbestos factories or demolition crews and breathed in massive amounts of the stuff. Unless it's broken up into particulate form, it's pretty much harmless. It was ripped from school buildings out of an excess of caution. Worrying about aesbestos brakes is an overreaction -- unless, of course, you plan on licking your brakes after a hard stop.

It isn't a concern for normal people, but it needs to be gotten rid of for mechanics. I'd be interested in seeing a analysis of the air around a toll booth also. There's a good chance that there's a higher than average asbestos content around them.

and many other carcinogenics

 

[natto fire]

I could see this being a problem for poorly trained or untrained mechanics, but I remember them teaching us to assume that all brake pads have asbestos, and to take the proper precaution. Also, many nicer shops will have a special set up that removes the dust by wetting it down and the whole thing will be covered. Yes, it is sad that large corporations have so much sway in our government, but that is how it has been ever since it was established.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: LilPima
My car didn't come with a warning label, I'm suing


kidding

Look at the bright point... at least the personal injury lawyers will have a steady stream of Mesotheleoma (sp?) cases to file for a few more decades...

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Can we get a poll please?

* Everyone knows this, OP is a dumbass
* I didn't know this, I am a dumbass like the OP
* My car is imported and I live in Germany/Japan
* Has anyone seen the Garage?

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
I could see this being a problem for poorly trained or untrained mechanics, but I remember them teaching us to assume that all brake pads have asbestos, and to take the proper precaution. Also, many nicer shops will have a special set up that removes the dust by wetting it down and the whole thing will be covered. Yes, it is sad that large corporations have so much sway in our government, but that is how it has been ever since it was established.

Those places you mentioned would be the outliers. Most shops don't have the level of gear necessary to contain asbestos dust.

 

[pkananen]

I worked as an asbestos abatement air monitor for 3 years...the only person it could remotely be a problem for is mechanics or something like that. And even then, I doubt it's a problem. In fact, in 10,000 readings I did on asbestos jobs, I had less than 20 that were potentially dangerous.

Asbestos is not a chemical that is poisonous or something. It is dangerous because the sharp fibers don't break down, get stuck in your lungs, and scar tissue builds around them.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: Wheezer
They are exposed to far more dangerous things than asbestos.

I guess if you never have yourself, or known anyone who had ever worked on a car...this would be a shocker...but for a vast majority of car owners...nothing new here.

yup :thumbsup:

my .02 : If this were such a huge deal, becoming a mechanic would spell certain doom for your lungs. Why, you ask? Because you're sticking your face in brakes all day long. Pulling off brake hats which are *filled* with brake dust and breathing all of that in. Is it potentially harmful? Sure, however, this happens routinely all day every day in hundreds of thousands of shops around the world. This isn't a huge concern of any mechanic, as far as I know.

 

[fleabag]

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Wheezer
They are exposed to far more dangerous things than asbestos.

I guess if you never have yourself, or known anyone who had ever worked on a car...this would be a shocker...but for a vast majority of car owners...nothing new here.

yup :thumbsup:

my .02 : If this were such a huge deal, becoming a mechanic would spell certain doom for your lungs. Why, you ask? Because you're sticking your face in brakes all day long. Pulling off brake hats which are *filled* with brake dust and breathing all of that in. Is it potentially harmful? Sure, however, this happens routinely all day every day in hundreds of thousands of shops around the world. This isn't a huge concern of any mechanic, as far as I know.

Are you saying there aren't mechanics with asbestosis or mesothelioma b/c of their job? I find that hard to believe...

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Wheezer
They are exposed to far more dangerous things than asbestos.

I guess if you never have yourself, or known anyone who had ever worked on a car...this would be a shocker...but for a vast majority of car owners...nothing new here.

yup :thumbsup:

my .02 : If this were such a huge deal, becoming a mechanic would spell certain doom for your lungs. Why, you ask? Because you're sticking your face in brakes all day long. Pulling off brake hats which are *filled* with brake dust and breathing all of that in. Is it potentially harmful? Sure, however, this happens routinely all day every day in hundreds of thousands of shops around the world. This isn't a huge concern of any mechanic, as far as I know.

Are you saying there aren't mechanics with asbestosis or mesothelioma b/c of their job? I find that hard to believe...

No, because that would be retarded. However, it would also be retarded to say that the risk is high. I'm going to have to say it is somewhere around 1/1000000 chances that some mechanic gets mesothelioma from changing out breaks.

Seriously, the people that got mesothelioma are the ones that worked directly with large amounts of asbestos for long periods of time. not your mechanic that changes out a brake pad maybe once a week.

Kind of like how any exposure to lead all the sudden causes instant retardation, yet people had been using lead cups/silverware and had lead pipes in their homes for hundreds of years before that.

(Before you come after me, yes lead is dangerous, and yes it does cause mental issues. However, the doses before those are noticed are very high.)

 

[Swagman]

Once upon a time, not really all that long ago, brake drums were much more substantial hunks of metal. One could have its ID turned larger by quite a bit, without compromising the drum's overall integrity. Brake shoe re-arcing machines were all over the place. There was almost never any dust collection going on. Sometimes you'd see a dude who had set up a fan.

Asbestos or not, a lot of bad juju particulate got inhaled over the years.