Asbestos and ships

[Lewis McColl]

Maybe of interest to some. Read this on another forum.

There will never be a definitive answer as to the extent of asbestos used in the manufacture of machinery and structure on ships.
Pretty well throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, all accommodation bulkheads and deckhead linings were either free standing laminate faced asbestos panels (B Class) or steel with similar insulation (A) Class). Likewise doors were of similar construction.
Major suppliers were Cape Asbestos, Turners, Marinite and Hardies. I used materials from all of them in the manufacture of doors and bulkheads for all Australian built ships in that period. Likewise shipbuilders elsewhere used the same materials.
The requirements for the installation of these products was mandated in SOLAS regulations at the time.
It was only in the late 80s that the hazards of asbestos emerged. The first revelation was about “Blue asbestos” which was not significantly used and then white asbestos and asbestos / calcium silicate mixtures.
Many major companies denied the potential problems. A number of my colleagues from that time have since died with asbestos related diseases.
Left undisturbed, asbestos fibres should not be released, but the simple action of replacing a lock on a fire door from that era will release sufficient fibres to be a problem.
Thermal insulation of steam pipes, boilers and machinery traditionally used an asbestos slurry with a binder, applied wet and then covered with asbestos woven cloth. Valves were protected with sewn “jackets” enabling easy removal for the maintenance of the valves such as lapping. However the simple action of removing the insulation jacket from a valve will also be an issue.
Symptoms of asbestos exposure usually emerge between 20 and 50 years post exposure. I advise you all to keep records such as your discharge book and register with the various National asbestos registers. Class actions have already resulted in proven liability and most of the manufacturers have compensation systems in place where asbestos exposure can be proven.
Note that smoking can muddy the waters in any compensation claim.

[robpage]

the link between Asbestos and Mesothelioma dates back to the 1930s but it was only highlighted in the 1960s , Sealink gave all employees a recognising letter re. asbestos at the point of sale of the company in 1985

[John Pruden]

lewis the first time i ever knew about blue asbestos was when artex was in fashion it was full of it i know a few builders especially the men who used it often we always told people never to try and scrape it of but cover it with a plaster coat for most it was well after artex went out of fashion and many finished up with chest problems and the ingredients of artex where changed ? jp

[robpage]

most of the roofing sheets Asbestolux is reasonably safe if cut wet , the tank and pipe lagging often was the blue , all now requires special removal disposal , the previous to 1986 Artex always has white asbestos , safe until sanded or drilled

[vic mcclymont]

Foreign bodies that enter the human body are generally rejected by the body's immune system.
The problem with asbestos is that the body does not recognise asbestos fibres as foreign, the body's immune system coats the fibre with a protective coating which then develops in latter years.
Asbestos which is encapsulated is safe as long as it is not drilled cut or broken.
Vic
Ps if you stood at a roundabout 20 years ago or more you would have received a very high dosage of asbestos fibres, far more than if you would have drilled a sheet of it.

[happy daze john in oz]

It has been a major problem in so many areas of our daily lives.
Recently it was discovered here in Melbourne that one mutli storey public housing block was full of it.
There had been so many cases of people living there suffering with chest ailments that when discovered the building was pulled down.
But that process in itself caused major headaches for those demolishing it.
It is to date the only one found with that amount in it, built around the mid 50's.

[John Pruden]

john the first thing the medical profession asks you is do you smoke not what your everyday working surroundings are that's the first thing any doctor will ask so i say before them don't drink don't smoke lads with cancer in the lungs younger than me never smoked and looked after themselves health wise kids 6/7/8 with lung cancer and yet you can get fellas in their 90s never got a cigarette out of their mouths ?? air quality is much needed living near a motorway will kill you in the end asbestos is all around and we are not told even in the older hospitals but the costs to remove is more than the NHS can afford?

[Captain Kong]

A lot of ships had asbestos in all the cabins and accommodation behind the formica bulkheads for insulation.
##even the QE2 had asbestos behind the bulkheads to insulate the cabins,
With Vibration a lot of asbestos dust could get out and you breathe it in, so really it was all around you.

[Keith Tindell]

Here on the island the train system run by Islandline, because of the track size i believe, so the train stock is ex London underground. If you have ever been on those trains you would not forget it. About 30 years ago asbestos was found to be used on the engines and had to be stripped out. What amazed me was they did this job in a siding in Sandown railway station, i was livid as it was right alongside a school, no more than 50 yards away. I contacted my councillor and the result was they had to enclose the train in a pressurised tent like structure, and the operators had to wear BA, and a security patrol had to be there until the job was finished. kt

[Fouro]

I have perused every post in this topic and not once has "monkey dung" been mentioned.

Fouro.