It is a fantastically useful material, except for all the mesothelioma.
Magic Mineral
Submitted 1 day ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/9c801fc5-c7f4-41e6-98c4-d3822f5973c9.jpeg
Comments
deegeese@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
SzethFriendOfNimi@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Seriously, except for the horrific issues with the stuff, it would be an essential material for various applications.
Its resistance to fire, heat transfer, etc would do wonders for insulation and construction.
degen@midwest.social 1 day ago
Makes me wonder if it could be treated in some way to make it not-so-inhalable. Though maybe we have better synthetic alternatives by now.
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Doesn’t burn, really hard to wear out, you can just dig it out of the ground, easy to shape and repair.
Except it kills people, and it hurts the whole time they’re dying.
Agent641@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Mother Gaia does a little trolling
Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 day ago
This is how you know the universe hates us.
Hazmatastic@lemm.ee 1 day ago
“If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation…”
psud@aussie.zone 1 day ago
We are in Australia. The company that mined the stuff was found negligent as they kept selling it for decades after they knew it was deadly dangerous
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 1 day ago
That and lead in paint and gasoline all worked amazingly.
HelixDab2@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Lead in gasoline was a stop-gap solution. If I remember correctly , it was added because we didn’t have the technology at the time to refine gas sufficiently to get the octane levels necessary to prevent pre-ignition of fuel (which causes rod knock) at a reasonable cost. Tetraethyl lead effectively increased the octane level/resistance to pre-ignition. As a side benefit, the lead slightly lubricated the valves and valve seats so that they lasted for tens of thousands of miles, instead of needing to be reground every few thousand miles.
It was a stupid stop-gap though, esp. since the dangers of lead were well known by then.
pumpkinseedoil@mander.xyz 1 day ago
As long as it doesn’t break down it’s awesome
Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Rinox@feddit.it 13 minutes ago
Also known as cancer in a box
Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Aw fuck l, I knew I remembered that shit from childhood.
VonCesaw@lemmy.world [bot] 17 hours ago
Something something you may be entitled to compensation
rimjob_rainer@discuss.tchncs.de 17 hours ago
How are you still alive?
Asetru@feddit.org 17 hours ago
Aw fuck l, I knew I remembered that shit from
childhoodThe Wizard of Oz.
ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
I had to reinsulate my attic a few years ago and I found about five different types of insulation up there (I have an old house) … I had to do a bunch of research on this stuff and figure out what I had … thankfully I was ok but I found this in my search online
ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Oh my god. Blue asbestos is the worst kind, or best if mesothelioma is your thing. Every single one of the people in that picture died from pulmonary issues.
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
My grandparents old farm had an asbestos carpet under their current carpet. I’m very very happy I was around to spot that, and for having audited a lot of abatement companies.
Wanderer@lemm.ee 1 day ago
The first time I learnt about my asbestos I was about 12 and my mum was going off at my dad about it. This was after we just took a load of roofing off an old shed without masks or gloves.
Thinking of it. He also give me fucking tinnitus when I was like 22. Really should have fucking learnt my lesson by then :(
Monzcarro@feddit.uk 19 hours ago
Our house is about 150 years old and we dug down to the dirt floor in one of the downstairs rooms. We found suspicious white bits, and had to send a sample off. Luckily it came back clear. It was unlikely anyway, as asbestos wasn’t in widespread use here in the 19th century.
However, we do have corrugated asbestos roofing on our “scullery” but it’s in one piece so can be left until we renovate that part, then disposed of safely. It’s pretty common to find it on sheds and outbuildings here.
Honytawk@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
But like, why asbestos?
Why can’t they shovel sand or dirt or something?
Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
To prove it was safe. They knew it wasn’t, so they changed public opinion by marketing.
“Of course it’s safe! Look how safe it is! It’s fun for the whole family! What do you think we are, monsters?”
NaevaTheRat@vegantheoryclub.org 17 hours ago
my garage, the old fence, and a good chunk of my house is asbestos.
They’ve been standing 60 years and you wouldn’t know it.
Damn shame we can’t use the material. Proof god hates us.
nsfwchill@lemmynsfw.com 17 hours ago
The mineral might be good but its poisonous ish. Do you want your walls to be poisonous, your roof?
SpongyAneurism@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 3 hours ago
Don’t worry. Asbestos cement is not really dangerous, as long as the concrete is intact and you don’t touch it, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
It’s when it crumbles or you work on it, that you have to take care. The problem is Asbestos dust entering your lungs, where it’s very carcinogenic.
But intact walls and roof are okay.
bitcrafter@programming.dev 1 hour ago
This is especially a concern for those of us who keep pork chops in our walls for a quick and convenient snack!
GraniteM@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Treat your taste kindly with KENT, the cigarette with the NEW Micronite filter!
^^Micronite ^^is ^^asbestos.
zyratoxx@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Oh oh, I’ve got one too. It’s not containing Asbestos but Thorium.
“Doramad radioactive toothpaste”
“Creates natural freshness in your mouth!”
“Special biological healing effects by radium rays. A thousand times medically prescribed and recommended.”
“What does Doramad do? Through its radioactivity, it increases the defenses of teeth and gums. The cells are charged with a new vigorous life energy, which inhibits bacteria in their destructive ability. Hence the exquisite prevention and healing effect on gum diseases. Polishes enamel to the softest shiny white. Prevents tartar approach. Good foam, new taste, pleasant, mild and refreshing. Use extensively.”
Quick disclaimer: The last two quotes can be found on Wikipedia but they are not backed up with sources.
nossaquesapao@lemmy.eco.br 20 hours ago
It’s because of that kind of thing that I’m always skeptical of startups bringing new and shiny things, that weren’t properly studied or tested, and promising to revolutionize something.
Bougie_Birdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 hours ago
You know what, their claim about odour being caused by bacteria, and bacteria being damaged by radiation is on point.
I’m sure you’ll have some odour when your mouth turns into a giant weeping sore though
Classy@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
And I thought Alex Jones’ colloidal silver was insane
werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Weapons grade teeth…you should only have 20 teeth left at adulthood to safely use this product with a 90% chance of having no chain reaction events.
umbrella@lemmy.ml 20 hours ago
turbocancer sticks!
now with better flavour!
FoolishObserver@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
Oi, Kent! Oi, Kent! Cancer’s here, some there, it’s every-fuckin’-where!!
MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 18 hours ago
I love seeing Ted Lasso jokes in the wild. :D
42yeah@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Is this double cancer?
AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca 22 hours ago
Super cancer actually, it’s an easy mistake to make
Evotech@lemmy.world 1 day ago
They’re going to say the same about plastic
flo@infosec.pub 20 hours ago
Plastic is bout very reactive. This property makes it generally not directly harmful to organic health, but also notoriously slow to decompose, causing huge amounts of pollution. I think it’s misleading to compare it to asbestos.
Maxxie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 18 hours ago
From what I gather, asbestos is also very stable and not reactive. Asbestosis is caused by tiny fibers physically tearing your lungs.
It’s unlikely that plastic is as dangerous (we’d seen it by now) but its buildup can likewise cause some condition.
affiliate@lemmy.world 1 day ago
they already are
chemicalprophet@lemm.ee 22 hours ago
And we keep ramping up production because… Capitalism!
werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
Just waiting for 3D printing fumes and SLA resin to be under the radar.
Wanderer@lemm.ee 1 day ago
God: “I’ll make a wonder material. Fire proof. Strong. Insulating. Just dig it up from the ground. Common a fuck. Waterproof.”
“Then they can all get cancer the cunts”
“Okay I’m done shit posting for now. Where’s that big tittie blonde gone”
WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world 51 minutes ago
Reminds me of that Oats Studio short on god
AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world 1 day ago
My dad was a contractor and he had a big sheet of it in the garage that was leftover from some job. It looked kind of like a sheet of drywall, but was grey and rougher. I used to take it into the back yard with a little blow torch and and lay on it while I melted metal things. I was probably ten to twelve at the time.
It was a different time.
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
😬😬😬😬😬😬
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
magic population control
troyunrau@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
I’m pretty sure we could go back to using it, with more precautions in place, better binders, etc. Hell, it’s still used in many parts of the world, and it occurs naturally all over the fucking place. But, alas, lawyers would have to stop salivating at every mention of the word.
In geoscience, we started using the word asbestoform to describe minerals with fibrous habits so we don’t get lawyers showing up to destroy all of our rock samples and turn every geoscience facility into a superfund site.
AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
I’m pretty sure we could go back to using it, with more precautions in place, better binders, etc. Hell, it’s still used in many parts
Is there a way to keep it inert when the next homeowner starts tearing down drywall and drilling holes in stuff?
InverseParallax@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Not really, but you mark is clearly everywhere and bond it in fire resistant epoxy.
People will learn when they drill into their wall and hit epoxy that means something.
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Russia and China still use it loads.
troyunrau@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
As with all research papers published out of China, you take their numbers with a grain of salt. They report approximately 2000 cases per year of mesothelioma, and of those, only 15% are definitively asbestos exposure related. So about 300 per year. Of those cases, over 80% are asbestos industry (improper safety measures for repeated occupational exposure).
Compared to fire related deaths prevented, it’s probably a good trade for China. Probably.
NakariLexfortaine@lemm.ee 1 day ago
“Asbestos was first synthesized by the master magi Mesothelioma. He was looking for a way to slowly poison the local villages without easy detection, and ended up creating one of the most common robe linings found today.
Mesothelioma is remembered long after his passing, though not fondly. If you, or a loved one, has been harmed by the creations of Dark Lord Mesothelioma, Sending us today…”
TachyonTele@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Stupid people used asbestos. We made ourselves part plastic!
ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Asbestos generation laughing at the Romans their use of lead
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Here goes the microplastic generation
TachyonTele@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Makes me daydream of what new horrible thing the next generations are going to poison themselves with
P4ulin_Kbana@lemmy.eco.br 1 day ago
Could someone please explain the joke to me?
Tyfud@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Asbestos is notoriously cancer causing, dangerous, EPA damning material that many, many homes, farms, buildings, etc. in America (and a few other countries) used heavily because of the properties espoused in the advertisement above.
And many people have suffered premature deaths as a result.
Asbestos was even used in the Wizard of Oz for the snow falling on the cast.
I had Asbestos in my ceiling in a home I purchased and had to pay $12k to remediate it. They wore masks, had negative pressure ventilation suits on, had to get EPA certifications, checks, etc.
It’s brutal stuff.
ylph@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
They wore masks, had negative pressure ventilation suits on
I hope those were positive pressure suits, positive pressure helps to keep dust out of the suit. Negative pressure ventilation is used to help sick people breathe easier, like the iron lung for example.
psud@aussie.zone 1 day ago
My mother grew up with her mother using asbestos heat distributors on the stove (between the flame and the pot) and they wore out regularly. Grandma was apparently very annoyed when the product was banned
Mum died in 2021 of a cardiac cancer, caused by asbestos
gerbler@lemmy.world 1 day ago
To quote Wikipedia:
It was later discovered to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and also because of its fibrous structure; it breaks into lots of tiny little microscopic needles when agitated. Those little shards get inhaled and poke tiny holes in your lungs which causes Asbestosis (kind of like Emphysema for smokers).
psud@aussie.zone 1 day ago
Sometimes the little shards make it through the lungs into the blood and thence onwards to cause cancer in any part of the body* it comes to rest
*Except the most protected parts: brain and gonads
stardustpathsofglory@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Next: Carbon fiber filament for 3d printers
turtlepower@lemm.ee 1 day ago
3D printers, period. The microplastics they create are insane.
BigBootyBoy@sh.itjust.works 18 hours ago
I’m happy dying an early death if it means one more plastic toy
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
How do printers create microplastics? Genuinely curious.
scytale@lemm.ee 1 day ago
I remember as a kid we had some kind of puck-shaped asbestos bathroom deodorizer. It was also used in urinals back in the day.
SoupBrick@yiffit.net 1 day ago
Yummy
captnanonymous@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
Image
TheBigMike@lemm.ee 1 hour ago
Time to move to the glorious nation of Kazakhstan, the top producer of potassium, to get some of those magic minerals to protect my countless buildings.