[Rockhounds] PRPA now public law

[DonH]

Jay Bates wrote:
> State Route 25 is the main road into the Clear Creek Management Area. 
> There has been 23 fatalities on that route since 1997. Your chances of 
> dying driving into the area are astronomically larger than dying from 
> cancer and mesothelioma. What a huge joke this asbestos risk to the 
> public is. Where are protests for those who have died on State Route 25.


Well Jay, you are correct there.  I heard one asbestos lecture where the 
speaker said, "the cause of death is inversely proportional to fear.  In 
other words, it's not what you fear the most that will likely kill you; 
it is something else."

People want to ban and control all sorts of things, but you never hear 
any serious talk about banning cars; yet how many casualties occur in 
cars?  And don't even get started on tobacco...

Regarding asbestos, we simply don't know the exact causes of the 
diseases, but because of the publicity (thanks to the press) and some 
high-profile cases, it is high on the agenda.  None the less there is a 
definite risk.

It seems this is a very polarizing issue.  On one side you have people 
screaming about asbestos and wanting to wipe it off the face of the 
earth; on the other extreme you have folks who think there is no risk or 
it is a huge joke.  What I am trying to point out is that people need to 
  address the rational middle ground, based on scientific evidence. 
Unfortunately, if you search the Internet, you will find plenty of 
propaganda on both sides, but you must look much harder to find the 
relevant facts.

However, air samples show that the off-road folks are inhaling fragments 
  of asbestos.  I am not sure what to make of this, but there are some 
who feel that it is better to over-regulate than under-regulate.  And 
again, this is a largely a response to public panic.

When I was in school, I helped one of the students do a demonstration of 
rocks and minerals for the Boy Scouts.  Against my advice, he brought a 
small specimen of chrysotile in a plastic bag.  That wasn't so bad, but 
as one young fellow was holding the bag, my fellow student said, "that's 
what asbestos is made of."  I'm sure the air pressure in the room 
dropped as I sucked in a violent breath.  The father said, "Put it 
down!"  The other student and I both said, "Oh it's OK, it's in the rock 
form and it's in a plastic bag..."  The father said again, "Come on put 
it DOWN."  The boy said, "But dad, they just said--"  "I SAID PUT IT 
DOWN!"  And he grabbed the kid's arm and pulled him away.  There would 
have been no point in trying to explain the concept of commercial 
asbestos, respirable fiber sizes, and occupational exposure levels; this 
man was simply convinced it was too risky to handle while in a plastic 
bag.  That kind of irrational fear comes from misinformation and 
propaganda.  Yet, I'd bet this father has fed his kid some fast-food on 
more than one occasion; something quite harmful to one's health in the 
long term.  And so the story goes.

And it gets worse.  There are some schools of thought that believe we 
should regulate all fibrous materials that have the potential to form 
respirable fragments of a certain size and aspect ratio.

Stay tuned for more fascinating stories on the subject... and keep an 
eye on the W.R. Grace trial.

best,
Don