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Post by 150FromFundy on Feb 6, 2012 7:24:49 GMT -5
This question has probably been tossed around in the past, but I couldn't find an old link.
There seems to be a lot of confusion around tiger eye and its link to asbestos. Does cabbing tiger eye require any special protection other than common sense?
I've been using a dust mask and noted on the fine print that it is NOT recommended for asbestos. I run my grinding disks and sanding pads really wet, so there isn't any dust. However, there can be some spray and airborne mist that settles around my work bench. Should I be concerned?
Thanks for your input.
Darryl.
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jockstrap
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2011
Posts: 56
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Post by jockstrap on Feb 6, 2012 10:01:47 GMT -5
Take a look at this link. www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/lapidary-safety.htmI must say that Asbestos seems to drive reason out the window. Each person on a daily basis breathes in approx 10,000 spores. These are straight in appearance and easily expelled by coughing sneezing etc. The deadly stuff is the Blue Asbestos ( the spores with the hook ) These stick in the lungs and are hard to get rid of. You guys in some of the more arid states are around bigger concentrations. Any kind of activity that cause dust should be protected against by wearing some type of Dust Mask
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barclay
has rocks in the head
Lowly Padawan of rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 510
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Post by barclay on Feb 14, 2013 23:54:46 GMT -5
This is a subject I have been hesitant to bring up, but since someone has already brought it up (even though it was while ago) I will jump right in. I used to work for a group that regulates asbestos. Blue tiger eye is tremolite asbestos. California's state rock, serpentine, is another form of asbestos. Cutting and grinding asbestos releases fibers and I think all of you have seen the ads on TV where lawyers are looking for people who have been exposed to asbestos who now have asbestosis and cancers. All forms of asbestos are known carcinogens. There is no known safe exposure limit to asbestos. The reason there are so many different regulations about asbestos is because of the hundreds of thousands of people who have died prematurely because they were exposed. When asbestos is removed from a building they do air sampling. The acceptance criteria is 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air as verified using a microscope. You can fail the test and still not be able to see the asbestos fibers.
Current scientific research is showing that other chemical resistant minerals that have fine fibers also may cause similar health effects as asbestos. Google erionite to read for yourself. In short areas where this mineral occurs naturally and where they spread rocks containing it for roads and other uses they are seeing increases in diseases typically associated with asbestos exposure. The common denominator is fine mineral fibers that are resistant to the body's mechanisms to get rid of it. When tremolite is exposed to heat and pressure it turns to golden tiger eye. Are the fibers from gold tiger eye as bad as from tremolite, I don't know. The chatoyance in tiger eye is caused by the microscopic fiberous nature of the mineral and they are discovering more and more that microscopic fibers cause disease.
All of us who make cabs have dust on our equipment. Using water minimizes the dust, it does not make the dust go away. Dust masks offer marginal protection for particles that are relatively large "nuisance" particles. They don't seal against your face so they can't protect you from the microscopic particles that make it deep in to your lungs. Those of you who are in respiratory protection programs at work have seen this first hand. A dust mask will not protect you at all from asbestos.
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Post by Pat on Feb 15, 2013 0:28:46 GMT -5
Since a dust mask does not offer protection, what do you recommend for protection?
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barclay
has rocks in the head
Lowly Padawan of rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 510
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Post by barclay on Feb 15, 2013 9:38:48 GMT -5
Don't work fiberous minerals. If possible cut and grind in a well ventilated area to dissipate the dust. Fans and suction devices can help. One thing regulators hate to hear, but has a lot of truth, is the saying "Dilution is the solution to pollution".
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Post by Bikerrandy on Feb 15, 2013 22:32:24 GMT -5
Pat, a respirator with disposable filters will work. To ensure that it's airtight, put your hands over the filter openings while wearing it and try to breath in. If it's airtight, it should suck to your face. You can purchase a decent respirator anywhere that sells paint supplies, Home Depot and Lowes sells them. They cost around $30.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Feb 15, 2013 22:38:03 GMT -5
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 15, 2013 23:07:38 GMT -5
According to Wiki and geologists: "Tiger's eye (also called Tigers eye or Tiger eye) is a chatoyant gemstone that is usually a metamorphic rock that is a golden to red-brown color, with a silky luster. A member of the quartz group, it is a classic example of pseudomorphous replacement by silica of fibrous crocidolite (blue asbestos). An incompletely silicified blue variant is called Hawk's eye." It's a pseudomorph. The Asbestos fibers have been replaced by silica. Of course you still should wear a mask but you don't need to be all freaked out about asbestos. If it were actual asbestos it wouldn't polish anyway.
Lee
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carloscinco
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,639
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Post by carloscinco on Feb 17, 2013 9:31:01 GMT -5
I use a 3m half face respirator with a P100 filter. It's easy and you can find them pretty cheap on Ebay. Beats getting tagged with the nickname "Wheezy" in your later years.
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