Peter S Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Recently I had the black, tarry undercoat and seam sealant from the trunk of my 1951 Hudson tested by an analytic lab. The undercoat came back as 2% Chrysotile (white) asbestos and the swam sealant as 5%.While these numbers may appear small, they represent significant concentrations. (I've read, example, that the pipe insulation that is a poster child for asbestos hazards is about 15% asbestos.) One reason that I'm bringing them up is that manufacturers bought these products from the same suppliers as Hudson and your 1950s car would probably produce the same results.The other is that I'm figuring out what to do. Most of the undercoat on the trunk floor was removed by the sandblaster, but a few patches remain that seem firmly attached. The seam sealant is somewhat dried out and is largely intact. Am I better off to encapsulate it with modern products or remove it with a proper mask? What removal method would result in the least fragmentation?Peter S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Asbestos is only dangerous if it's friable (that is, in a fibrous state that can be airborne and breathed).... Non-friable asbestos, such as what you're describing, is harmless.I was involved with numerous asbestos abatement projects during my career, and in some cases of solid asbestos the best solution is to identify it and leave it as is...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Agreed. The asbestos scare is largely overblown in a majority of situations like you describe. The guys with mesothelioma are guys who worked in places with significant concentrations of the stuff for long periods of time. It's like smoking one or ten or fifty cigarettes probably won't give you cancer but a lifetime of doing it probably will. Trimacar is correct in saying that it is only dangerous once it's airborne as dust, but if it's embedded in the tar-like undercoating, you probably won't have a problem with that happening. Use a good respirator (not a paper Home Depot unit) if you're concerned, keep the working area wet, and you shouldn't have any problems. We had steam pipes in our house that criss-crossed our basement ceiling and were wrapped in what I can only believe is asbestos. My friends and I used to peel off the wrappers and have sword fights with them until the air was thick with dust. THAT was probably extraordinarily stupid (yes, my father delivered a BIG can of whoop-ass that night), but I still don't expect to get lung cancer from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 My son is a house painter and his crews must often scrape older houses with lead paint. His company is required to collect, encapsulate & dispose of all the chips at an approved disposal site. To do otherwise may result in stiff fines. When all the loose paint is removed, they can then repaint to encapsulate the surfaces. I suggest you research the acceptable methods to coat the affected areas and do it yourself while using a good respirator as described above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddyshack Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I spent a few years abating asbestos from 45 acres of a paper mill and I agree with just about everything mentioned above. The tar type substance will actually keep the asbestos fibers intact. Drilling, sanding, sand blasting, and any method that could create dust would not be good. Water would definitely help, but not unless the water and dust was disposed of properly also. There was a method mentioned a month or two ago using "dry ice blasting" to remove undercoating that sounded very promising, but I don't know enough about the safety side of this method. There are many ways to encapsulate the existing seams and spotty areas other than removing. Primer and paint works very well, but don't sand it first. Good luck and be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Heat until soft with a torch or heat gun, remove with putty knife, place in plasitic bag, put in garbage, call it a day...............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 I covered the underside of my 52 Plymouth with POR 15. Seems to do a great job of sealing. Anyone my age(64) has probably been exposed to a moderate amount of Asbestos anyway. I really don't worry about it. However I do not dig into anything that I suspect has it in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter S Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks, all. These are excellent tips. I opted to encapsulate and it seems very effective. Peter S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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