I began to tear apart 2 Typr R trainmaster transformers and noticed a white material which may be asbestos? Can anyone shed some light on this? Is it in fact asbestos and should it be a concern? May seem like a ridiculous question, but i am a bit of a hypochondriac.[sigh]
If I were taking something apart and found a hard white substance then I would not be worried. If it was fibourous like moss and shedding particles I would handle it as little as possible and put in back together (it would not hurt fingers, but you do not want to break it up and get it in the air). The main thing I would avoid is inhaling any particles. If I were really concerned I would wear a surgical mask while assembling it and perhaps do the service in the garage where ventilation is better.
I do not think asbestos can “jump out” of our transformers and harm us. I would try not to disturb it because that is where the problem is created. I am not too concerned about it (as long as it is not shedding particles) because we used to use asbestos pads in chemistry class.
Jim H
I began to tear apart 2 Typr R trainmaster transformers and noticed a white material which may be asbestos? Can anyone shed some light on this?
That white material is more likely cotton. Asbestos covered wire was normally used in electrical products that generated heat. The pads of Postwar Smoke units contained asbestos, as did most stoves, toasters, clothes irons, etc.
The danger from asbestos is breathing in tiny fibers suspended in air. Usually this happened in places where asbestos was manufactured or worked and used as a blown in type insulation. Even if the substance in your transformer were asbestos you’ld need to fling it around to get it airborn.
You would probably also need to do so to thousands of transformers over the course of many years for it to harm you.
ivesboy,
I’m not certain that there is sufficient expertise here to answer your question. I tried to research the subject a bit, and have given up because it is too complex and too full of opinions. It seems established that some levels of exposure to some types of asbestos inhalation can lead to lung cancer and mesothelioma. Just ask Peter Angelos, Esq., owner of the Baltimore Orioles, who has made a considerable pile suing asbestos manufactures on behalf of those who had suffered ill-effects.
But has it been established that there ever was any asbestos in Lionel equipment? One person has said yes, in some smoke units. News to me, but then again I’d be unlikely to know. Can you tell precisely where it came from?
I have often wondered whether the white-coated “resistance wire” that I’ve seen in some ZW transformers (sometimes wrapped around the circuit-breaker) might contain asbestos.
At one time it was considered an extremely useful material,* and it’s use was widespread. Why not give a call to the hazardous-materials disposal people in your community, or the local health department? Or maybe just dump it into a small paper bag and trash it?
*I can recall big chunks of it flaking off the boiler pipes in my elementary school in the 40’s; and, due to the ever-present danger of fire in theaters, the great stage curtains/screens often had the word “Asbestos” painted on them as a proud indication of fireproofing. Ironic.
Asbestos did not used to be a dirty word, so it could well have some in it. They used in in schools and everywhere else. My uncle had an asbestos blanket thing that he used when he welded stuff in the garage. We all played with it.
The answer is to not shred the fibers. In tact, it is harmless as far as anyone knows.
so postwar smoke units are safe to use if left as they are?
One day at work I had to back up the EPA on a warrent for illegal dumping. While we were serving the warrent one of the agents stated that the company was not disposing the asbestos properly. I asked them if it would harm us and he said that you would have to inhale it for a long long time for it to really harm you. Casual contact is not a threat. So basicly he said that you would have to be working with this stuff for years for it to become the enviromental monster it’s made out to be. Plus I’m pretty sure if it was a hazard in the transformer some lawyer would have tried to get a case out of it like the TV commercials the are always running up here. You know the ones that say “Have you been injured or sick because of someone elses neglagence,? Call 1800-nonsense to get paid”
Even though this is not my area of focus, as an environmental consultant for over 20 years I’ve had to manage a few asbestos cases. The advice above is correct in that your only exposure will come if you begin to break apart the material and it becomes airborne. Also, OSHA (the federal government agency that regulates work safety) has established exposure levels that assume an 8-hour workday, so some exposure isn’t immediately dangerous to human health. That being said, care should be taken to minimize exposure and disturbance. What I plan to do over the next 30 days is to take a sample from my transformers (one from a prewar 81 rheostat and a prewar R transformer) and get them analyzed by a laboratory. That way we’ll all be certain. I’ll report my results next month.
asbestos is only dangerous when you make dust from it and it gets airborne. then you would have to breath alot more than you have there to harm most people. most houses built in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were sided with asbestos shingles and most are still wearing them today. a surgical mask will not block asbestos particles as they are much finer then the holes in the mask. you would need a HEPA rated respirator fitted to your face if you handle that stuff. dont mess with it or spread it around and you will be fine.