Asbestos insanity
 

Just read this article in my local paper. It seems the government agency responsible for keeping asbestos out of Australia is getting a bit over-enthusiastic. They have started dismantling imported classic cars to remove gaskets and brake linings containing asbestos. :mad:
Pretty f'n pointless when there are still plenty of old houses and miles of backyard fences built with it!

Sounds like a Gov't agency looking for work to keep the employees busy.

Somewhat related: When remodeling our home, we wanted to be environmentally responsible, so asked that our paint be tested by a "lead abatement" company. We knew there was a 35% chance our paint contained lead. Predictably, the test was positive.

I had a "feeling", so had independent testing performed. No lead.

Gaskets? I can see brake linings, as they turn to asbestos carrying dust in normal use. But the asbestos in gaskets is encapsulated until the gasket is removed.

In the 20+ years I was in the U.S. Navy I worked in 4 engine room overhauls and 5 reactor refueling operations and ALL of these involved removing lagging which I am pretty sure that it was asbestos? We never wore masks until the last few years I was in active duty. The worst was on the CGN25, USS Bainbridge where we had tents made of a clear plastic and filtered air exhausts. Before we could come out we were vacuumed with a special vacuum cleaner to remove any dust. I get my chest x-ray each year to see if anything has shown up in my lungs but so far all is okay.

As for houses where painting or insulation was done I would guess as long as the surface is not disturbed there should be no issues? The "experts" don't see it that way though!

I don't know about AU but in the US it's a lot easier for the government to control what's coming in the country (legally at least) than it is to do anything about what's already in the country.

If you're not allowed to import asbestos having it part of the car you're importing doesn't get you a free pass.

Removal from cars is just stupid. In fact, most buildings as well.

The only people succumbing to asbestos related illness are those that either worked in and around the mines and mills that produced it..

or...

THE PEOPLE THAT WORK TO REMOVE IT!

Some years ago I watched a TV show (PBS, maybe?) about Cubans who DIYed replacement parts for old American cars - doing things like fabricating a bumper for a '59 Cadillac, making new windshields by taking windshields from something else by heating, re-forming over forms and cutting, and so on. One artisan they interviewed made new brake pads on existing shoes. He showed the crew his process, which began by taking a big bag of asbestos out from under a bench and dumping some in a bowl....:O

I’m in the due diligence period on a small (9500 sq ft) retail building built in 1923. Yep, the phase 1 shows a small, I mean SMALL, amount of asbestos wrapping on the pipes (like 3 elbows) and a portion of the VCT flooring that was glued �� with, oh the horror, asbestos based glue. In fact some of the 9x9” tiles were also asbestos laiden. The cost for “removal” 28,000.00 F’n ridiculous.

or you can start an Asbestos removal company or become a 'certified' inspector and make serious bank on the backs of such stupidity...

Nooooo, that BS. Neither you are throwing BS at us or you are really getting your chain yanked. Our local companies will remove that in a heart beat for a min. fee of 800-1000 dollars all freaking day long. This is the expensive socal pricing. YOu sure misread it for 2800 bucks instead of 28,000? Even at 2800 is a huge ripoff.

That was so 30 years ago. I remember one of my cousins getting into the business as a grunt at an asbestos removal company. He offer me to get me a job when I get out of HS because there's endless removal jobs to be had. he now sells women shoes at Macy's for a living (he was kinda an ass)

While airborne asbestos fibers clearly ARE a risk, the extent to which this has resulted in ridiculous profiteering is insane. I recently was involved with a project which involved the demolition of an 800,000 sq. ft. former mental hospital. Due to the fact that the ENTIRE backup wall (typical masonry construction with backup wall, cavity and exterior-facing brick / veneer wall) had been essentially fire-hosed with ACM mastic for waterproofing on top of the fact that there was so much ACM in pipe insulation, plaster and other elements, it would have been impractical to selectively abate. After having THREE separate hazmat speciality consultants review it, the best solution was determined to have the ENTIRE building demolished and disposed of as bulk hazardous material (would've been far more expensive to do selective abatement). The cost estimate was north of $16M. That's sixteen MILLION dollars - just to demolish a vacant, condemned building. That's the level of lunacy this has gotten to.

When I first started as a trainee at a Porsche dealership, it was 1970. At that time services on 911's were every 6K miles (including valve adjustment)! The guy training me would have me "exercise the brake calipers"...pull the pads, work the pistons back and forth several times and blow the brake dust all over the shop...breathe deep...cough, cough. What'd we know? BTW the labor rate at that time was $8/flat rate hour of which the tech got $4!

QUOTE=John Rogers;9819382]In the 20+ years I was in the U.S. Navy I worked in 4 engine room overhauls and 5 reactor refueling operations and ALL of these involved removing lagging which I am pretty sure that it was asbestos? We never wore masks until the last few years I was in active duty. The worst was on the CGN25, USS Bainbridge where we had tents made of a clear plastic and filtered air exhausts. Before we could come out we were vacuumed with a special vacuum cleaner to remove any dust. I get my chest x-ray each year to see if anything has shown up in my lungs but so far all is okay.

As for houses where painting or insulation was done I would guess as long as the surface is not disturbed there should be no issues? The "experts" don't see it that way though![/QUOTE]

The plant where I work was built in 1960 and some of the steam, heat transfer fluid, and a little of the double jacket process piping still has asbestos insulation. All that has to be removed for normal overhauls has been replaced with fiberglass fabric covered calcium silicate castings. When an elbow gets worn through or a flange leaks that is covered by asbestos, it is removed as you described by insulators who are asbestos abatement trained and then replaced with calcium silicate. Otherwise it is left alone.

If you get mesothelioma, you die. There is no cure.

That being said, we just replaced the roof on our vintage 1938 house. To remove 2 asbestos pipes sticking out of the roof, we had to call an asbestos specialist. What a waste of $600. The guy didn't even bunny-suit up, according to Mrs. Noah. Just climbed onto the roof, yanked out the tops of the pipes, and took them with him. Left the rest of the pipes entombed in the walls of the existing house.

My neighbor told me I shoulda just tossed them in the trash, myself.

To the OP, sounds like you had someone move over there from California and take over.

Same here. All asbestos is gone from US refineries now but that wasn't the case when I was younger.
I know for a fact I worked with and around friable asbestos on hundreds of occasions.

I've been offered fairly large sums to sign off, but I said no, I'll wait.
If it ever does get me the wife and kids will be (even better) set for life.