[Rockhounds] PRPA now public law

[Jay Bates]

Don,

I know the risks of asbestos. I have had a neighbor and a friend die 
from mesothelioma they acquired in the Naval shipyards in San Francisco 
Bay area. My brother was also exposed to asbestos working in the 
shipyards for the Navy. The hazards are there, but they are mostly the 
occupational kind. The risks, and there are some risks, with naturally 
occurring asbestos, are considerable less, as I previously indicated. I 
am hearing some rumors of a possible very limited opening of the Clear 
Creek area in the near future.

Jay

DonH wrote:
> 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