UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

Skywave · 18th Oct 2018, 11:58 am

Posts above mention asbestos: quite rightly, enough investigations have been completed to conclusively establish that asbestos - or rather the dust from it - can be very harmful. But sometimes I wonder about the broad definition of 'asbestos' in that assessment. I am under the impression that there are different types of asbestos: certainly there is the 'blue' and the 'white' variety, and I believe that it is the blue that is particularly hazardous.
As a child, I lived on an estate where everyone lived in asbestos-built bungalows: the asbestos was the white variety. Occasionally, when a bungalow became vacant, it was demolished: bits of asbestos were littered all over the site where the building had stood. Now boys being boys, we soon discovered that if bits of that asbestos were thrown onto a bonfire, they would explode with bits thrown high into the air. Now that - and the fact that I lived in such a pre-fabricated building for many years - makes me wonder about the alleged risks of being exposed to asbestos (the white variety). I am now approaching 70 years of age: my health is (almost) as good as it ever was.

Al.

18th Oct 2018, 11:58 am	#38
Skywave Rest in Peace Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chard, South Somerset, UK. Posts: 7,457	Re: Don't try this at home... Posts above mention asbestos: quite rightly, enough investigations have been completed to conclusively establish that asbestos - or rather the dust from it - can be very harmful. But sometimes I wonder about the broad definition of 'asbestos' in that assessment. I am under the impression that there are different types of asbestos: certainly there is the 'blue' and the 'white' variety, and I believe that it is the blue that is particularly hazardous. As a child, I lived on an estate where everyone lived in asbestos-built bungalows: the asbestos was the white variety. Occasionally, when a bungalow became vacant, it was demolished: bits of asbestos were littered all over the site where the building had stood. Now boys being boys, we soon discovered that if bits of that asbestos were thrown onto a bonfire, they would explode with bits thrown high into the air. Now that - and the fact that I lived in such a pre-fabricated building for many years - makes me wonder about the alleged risks of being exposed to asbestos (the white variety). I am now approaching 70 years of age: my health is (almost) as good as it ever was. Al.