Help! Anyone know what ASBESTOS looks like?

[Westegg]

Long story short: I just bought an antique electric casserole, circa 1940 (kinda like a modern-day slow-cooker). I unscrewed the bottom to clean the thing and found it packed with a yellowish-white material that resembles fiberglass insulation. But my fear is that, given the age of the thing, they might have used asbestos as a way to insulate the heating unit of the casserole.

Any thoughts from an expert? I would really appreciate it! Thanx!!!!

[TX-RAT]

1. Considering the age of the appliance

Could very well be.

[GumboYaYa]

2. If its old and insulated, it's most likely asbestos......

at least that's the rule I live by.

[physioex]

3. Far as I know..

Not way to tell visually. You would have to have a sample tested...

[lil-petunia]

11. most asbestos is benign, unless you

smoke 3 packs a day, drink heavily and breathe the stuff in deeply. unfortunately, the South African (most popular, cheapest and most mined) is also the most friable. That means that it breaks into ever smaller bits, mainly 3-5 microns. These particles become imbedded into the ling tissue and are just a tiny bit too big for your White cells to clean out. The constant irritation and your body's well-meaning but ineffectual efforts to cleanse itself result in asbestosis. bad disease. Even rarer, but much, much deadlier is mesothelioma, but again, you gotta smoke a hell of a lot to be seriously at risk.

However, asbestos tile, which encapsulates the stuff is almost indestructible and therefore, incapable of hurting you. unless you disturb it and break it apart.

The free form stuff that you have is 99% guaranteed to be asbestos. remember, this was a billion dollar industry then a billion actually meant something. Wear a mask, grab a huge plastic bag, and carefully remove all that you can, without creating any dust. If it doesn't come out cleanly, stop, and throw the damned thing out, preferably in a city station that handles such things. If you can remove it all, without dust, wash out the piece very very carefully, paint it a few times with a fireproof paint, then add a newfangled insulation. As for the garbage, bring that to a proper disposal center.

Even though most asbestos is not too harmful (especially the canadian and upper US sources) why risk problems?

[Stephanie]

4. You don't want to breathe that in

Don't let it get in the air.

[NoPasaran]

5. Could very well be asbestos

It was widely used in those days as an electrical insulator.

[Westegg]

10. Thanks for the replies. DAMN! I really like this thing...

...I collect old stuff. I guess there's no safe way to remove the (probable) asbestos, huh? On the plus side, it was only $5.

[donco6]

6. Asbestos is normally white

It is rarely packed in loosely, but is usually formed around the inside of the unit, fitted in place with wire mesh.

Only friable asbestos is a danger.

[Bake]

12. This sounds friable to me

Just a hunch, but if you were to touch it, it would likely crumble and spread fibers into the air. It does sound like it could well be asbestos. Don't take the chance with it.

By the way, I do asbestos litigation in Mississippi, the asbestos litigation capital of the world.

Bake

[donco6]

13. True.

None of it is worth risking.

[Wickerman]

7. some images

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. It looks like white dust

and if it's in a stove..it's really a minimal amount and not realy harmful...but if you can get it removed you may as well

for the record...it requires long term exposure to voluminous amounts of asbestos for it to be a health threat.

[benburch]

9. Most likely it is Asbestos

http://www.asbestos-institute.ca/home/inyourhome.html

http://homerepair.about.com/cs/healthyhouse/a/asbestos_ident.htm

Heat shields were a common use.

[Westegg]

14. Thanks for the links. BIG help!