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« International body to punish polluters? | Main | Senior ex-official speaks on FDA's failure to get benzene out of soft drinks »
November 21, 2006
OSHA tries to put the brakes on asbestos precautions
OSHA scientist Ira Wainless is facing unpaid suspension for standing by his assertion that mechanics should be warned of possible asbestos exposure from brake pads. Most people, including mechanics, assume that the import of asbestos-containing products has been banned in the U.S. as it has in most other countries. Think again. The Baltimore Sun reports an 83% increase in asbestos-laden imported brakes in the last decade. On top of that it appears that the Big Three automakers are behind the arm-twisting and intimidation of Wainless with lobbying muscle from none other than regulatory-hurdle-smashing consulting firm, Chemrisk—brainchild of Dennis Paustenbach. (You may remember Paustenbach from the Wall Street Journal article exposing his role in ghost writing a bogus study on the chromium toxicity.)
A special thanks to Baltimore Sun reporter, Andrew Schneider, for investigating this—and to our friends at Effect Measure for bring it to my attention. I highly recommend clicking through to their posts.
Comments
I am happy see that I am not the only one trying to deal with the asbestos issue. I hope that we are successful for our kids sake. The key is getting the information out. I have starting my efforts in Albuquerque New Mexico and I am really surprised with the general response to the information I am putting out. You hit the nail on the head regarding how people assume that we do not use asbestos anymore or that it is a problem that was dealt with already. I am hitting road block after road block when it comes to the media help by talking it up. They don't seem to think the public wants to hear it. If you get a chance look into what I am doing about the problem. I find it unacceptable to know that people will continue to die will into the 21st century as a result of continued exposures to asbestos.
Respectfully,
Charles Perea
President & Founder
Johnny O Perea Foundation for Asbestos Education & Relief
Posted by: Charles Perea | November 24, 2006 12:00 PM
Wow! I will remember that next time I change my brake pads...
Thanks
Posted by: Andrew | November 26, 2006 8:43 AM
I am glad to see that Ira stood up to OSHA and I'm sorry is facing an unpaid suspension for standing up for the truth. Asbestos is in a lot of things that the general public is unaware of and gets exposed to. There is another product that is right up there with asbestos but due to government and big business, the general public is unaware of and that is old fiberglass. An erratic microscopic glass fiber with formaldehyde that gets breathed in and also embeds itself into every pore or orifice on your body. It also attaches itself to everything else in the house, which is impossible to get rid of. This in turn, means a re-exposure to the individual who is unaware of the dangers. The dangers are the same as asbestos and individuals exposed have health problems for the rest of their life.
Asbestos is not only in brake pads, but also on old tanks (water, heater) in the basement alongside those old tanks wrapped with fiberglass. Exposure to either causes major health problems. The general public is really unaware of the dangers and it is very hard to find useful information on the subject of fiberglass that will help. It’s dangerous and the public needs to be made aware of this. I was exposed for 4 months being unaware. Now I have health problems, probably for the rest of my life and can do nothing about it. Hopefully this will make others aware of the dangers and one day; there will be warnings to the public that fiberglass exposure is just as bad as exposure to asbestos!
Respectfully yours,
Karen J. Griffin
Posted by: Karen J. Griffin | December 1, 2006 10:34 AM
The root cause of Asbestosis and Mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. We are all intelligent people but at turns out a the vast majority of didn't realize just how much of this stuff is still out there. Through the Johnny O. Perea Foundation I intend to address this issue out loud. The truth is we do not need to continue exposures that will cause death. Our kids deserve better than that. The experts expect deaths well into the 21st century. I need charitable contributions and support to interfere with that prediction. Through all of the research and facts about asbestos we forgot to deal with the root cause in our homes. There is a mountain of regulations that deal with this issue in general industries. Why, because it is clearly a heath hazard. None of the regulations apply to us in our homes until you try to get rid of it. Asbestos is a hazardous waste. You could be cited and fined. I have started to deal with all of this but I need your help! The end of the tax year is very close help me with a tax deductible contribution.
Respectfully,
Charles Perea
Posted by: Charles Perea | December 17, 2006 12:01 PM