|
|
Posted by gmharris [71.105.178.157] on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 12:16:36 :
In Reply to: gm harris posted by Kaegi [71.227.129.92] on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 10:52:28 :
Thanks for the additional information. That was pretty much my understanding, that asbestos has been eliminated from friction materials, mostly because of liability, not new regulations.
However, the substitute materials are inferior to asbestos. For that reason, I suspect asbestos might show up in heavy duty or foreign applications. I'm very cautions and treat all friction materials like they have asbestos. Why not? No dust is good for you to breath anyway.
I have an asbestos-rated mask (asbestos particles are extremely fine) and I take brake and clutch parts outside to clean them using some sort of spray.
I just finished doing the brakes on my '54 FFPW and I'm sure the brake shoes were pre-80's. The truck had been sitting for about 25 years. And, there are also NOS brake shoes that probably contain asbestos.
One poster said that brake dust is not carcinogenic. I wonder if the asbestos in the brake dust has been ground so finely that the "hooks" have been destroyed? Or, maybe he's wrong. I'm not going to take a chance.
Interestingly, fiberglass insulation has the same kind of hook structure as asbestos, but the body manages to expel fiberglass after awhile.
Asbestos is very inert. That's why they use it. But, it lodges in the linings of the lungs and after years of irritating the linings can cause scarring and asbestosis.