Certain vintage radios used to contain asbestos. This sheet of asbestos was attached inside the radio chassis and was purported to protect the wooden cabinet against heat damage caused by the radio tubes.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that was widely used in a variety of industries due to its highly  fire and heat resistant properties, affordability, and accessibility.  Asbestos, unfortunately, also causes serious and fatal illnesses, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.   The development of these disease can take decades due to show symptoms.  Therefore, many were not even aware at the time of exposure the extent of risk they were taking.

Radio repairmen (and hobbyists) would encounter this asbestos strip when they were cleaning and or repairing the radios. Almost a decade ago, Dr. Jackson wrote an article for the Journal of Antique Wireless Associations about the dangers of asbestos is vintage radios.  During the process of cleaning and repairing, asbestos fibers from the asbestos strip could be liberated into the air in which the repairman breathed. Accordingly, repair of vintage radios which contained the asbestos strip is an activity that puts the repair person at risk of developing mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos that affects the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart.  To date, there is no known cure and standard treatments have had little success in prolonging survival times.

If you work with vintage radios or any other asbestos containing products, take all precautionary measures to ensure that no do not risk inhaling or ingesting any fibers.  If you have been diagnosed with asbestos, contact our mesothelioma law office to get support and expert legal advice by calling 1-888-855-9052.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 5:49 pm and is filed under Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.