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you did a pretty shitty job presenting asbestos. unfortunately you played into a lot of stereotypes and just haven't fairly presented this, which makes me skeptical of your overall approach. to reality.
Stop using ground news. Biased billionaire propaganda designed to appear neutral. Never pay a CENT for the bourgeoisie to tell you how to view the world. Thumbs down and not watching any vid with that sponsor. Do better Derek.
Aspestos is everywhere , the level of contamination is impossible to measure . Automobiles had Asbestos brake linings , clutch discs , so if you were near an intersection the material built up against the curbs . They require testing of building, to determine the presence of Asbestos , but the soil around the building doesn’t require testing , which probably is also contaminated . 👍🇨🇦
@cameronhamer9432 Lead around older homes is almost certainly present also. I rehabbed houses and probably don't want to know what was present. I looked for fiber-based tape around ducts, avoided popcorn ceilings and _textured_ drywall and more, but old flooring, and paper linings are everywhere.
@cameronhamer9432 And as was clear from the last part, there are areas of the world where asbestos fibres come to the surface "naturally". The question is how these natural asbestos areas compare to things like radon gas, arsenic in water (and therefor in rice) etc. Concentrating these materials and compounds is something we can chose to not do.
Greetings from Japan. In Japan, we are taught in school that asbestos is "dangerous," but I never knew the full historical background until now. This was very educational. Thank you!
In Ukraine it's the same. It's amazing to me. How it still remains so widespread and so poorly restricted. Although it would seem how many countries teach this in school.
@yurik8468 Exactly! It’s surprising that despite what we learn in school, the reality hasn't changed much. Thank you for sharing the situation in Ukraine. Stay safe!
You see the same garbage in Tequila. It'll be advertised as white tequila, but then they add flavorings that they don't have to report because it's under some arbitrary number.
When I was a child (in UK) I lived next door to someone who did asbestos surveys for construction. I vividly remember her telling me that people treated her like a villain, because if she found asbestos the construction would get delayed and cost a lot more. She also said she didn't care there was never any thanks because she was just happy she had saved them from horrific health issues and possibly death. We are lucky people like her, the experts you spoke to in this video, and journalists like yourselves do the stuff that they do
My wife works for a german government building agency and some of her colleagues there would on purpose not do the stricter test, that can detect asbestos below 1% even when they suspect asbestos there, because it would delay construction and raise costs. She issued the stricter test, of course they found asbestos, and she was the boo woman. In the end they had to do an air-tight construction site, but the workers would eat their lunch in there without masks. So she issued warnings and threatened to contract penalties. Many don't take it serious at all and view it more as a nuisance, I guess because you can't see it and the consequences take years to materialize.
My school still had asbestos!!! I started in 2019, school was destroyed in 2022. Am i cooked? we used to steal the asbestos stickers on the wall and put them on our laptops. I think this scared the teachers alot but we thought it was hilarious. I even still have my asbestos sticker at home, I keep it like a trophy, maybe one day a keepsake to give to my lawyers 😂😂
@samurai-j2wmy school was the same and I have family friends that professionally clean asbestos. If it was "sealed" in an environment you couldn't get to, like the walls or inside the ceiling (but not in the air path of duct work) you should be fine. Asbestos is like a sleeping threat that only enters your lungs when suspended in the air. If it wasn't touched at all, by hands, equipment, or air pressure then you shouldn't be at an increased risk.
Feel like I've heard this story before "Company produced a bad thing, claimed it wasn't bad, declared it was legally not bad, secretly knew it was bad, bad product does immeasurable damage and killed countless people, owners of the company continued to profit of bad thing even after everyone knows and agrees its bad, and now their kids are trust fund babies with massive amounts of wealth while no one in the family ever being held accountable"
in the US, an act of mass poisoning can result in a death sentence, there was a person who poisoned (and killed) their singular roommate in a way that also endangered other residents of the same dorm, that person got the death sentence, meanwhile executives of companies that poison and kill thousands (potentially millions) are just.... not facing any consequence?
As someone who spent 3 years as an asbestos sample analyst, this video is so necessary. Still, average people are completely unaware how bad asbestos is
I'm aware that asbestos in its loose form is bad. I'm aware (or at least hoping) that anything new i buy from the hardwarestore doesn't have it in it. I hope EU Regulations got it covered, otherwise i believe it would've been mentioned in this video. The roof of my open shed has asbestos in it. As long as its not leaking im not planing on doing anything with it. When the time comes and i have to take it down i'll get all the precautions working on it.
@hiconpro1181this is a complicated one. no such thing as deadly drugs only deadly doses. your insulation 100000% leaks small fibers. however they are generally isolated from you so vey very little actually gets out from inside the walls however once in a blue moon some will leave, the longer the insulation has not been touched the better but youll always have some seepage just not a relivant amount. even smoking 1 cigarette a week has absolutely no documentable longturm sideeffects. just dont go digging in it and hope your vents are well sealed thats about all i can say.
I said it a bit above, but in France it's literally banned since about 20years. You cannot sell, use it, build with it, make anything with it. When you find small trace of it in your building you are banned to do any construction or renovation unless/until decontaminated.
@mathavianthat’s because asbestos immediately cuts up the lungs and is so inflammatory that it is encircled by the immune system in the immediate vicinity where it entered the body. Plastics are quite inert, and non reactive. That’s why they are able to enter your brain and testicles. You just proved the other guys point.
If industry really wanted a cheap. abundant material that wouldn't ignite under any circumstance, they could have simply purchased my competitor's firewood.
@guysumpthin2974 Radium, Pesticides, cigarettes, asbestos, petrochemicals, war….the list is endless. At some point there has to be companies and people held to account.
The asbestos scandals in Rochdale and Leeds (UK) are infuriating and heartbreaking. It took years for the authorities to take action. Before this the authorities actively assisted the employer to deny there was a problem. Terrible.
@theeniwetoksymphonyorchest7580 My Gran probably wrapped steam pipes from asbestos mined from there for the Royal Navy in WW2. She died of asbestosis drowned in her own lungs. I was only a child and seeing her like that, well suffice to say no one deserves to go out like that. It broke me as a child seeing that.
I'd just like to call out a possible point of confusion. Early on in the video it is implied that the reason macrophages can not digest asbestos fibers is because of their long size. This in turn implies that shorter asbestos fibers are not as problematic (since they can be engulfed). Then, later in the video, it says that many short asbestos fibers (under 5 microns) are being ignored and not measured or counted. I looked it up, and macrophages are ~20 microns in length. In practice, macrophages CAN engulf shorter fibers. But macrophages STILL can NOT digest / destroy them, and will die trying. There is essentially nothing in the human body (to my knowledge) that can break down and extricate asbestos fibers (no matter the length) once they are in your body. The problem with asbestos fibers is NOT the length, but the chemical / atomic composition which resists all known biological means of destruction and flushing. Fun!
This is literally chemical warfare's final frontier, just super fine material that can get inside everything with no issues and cannot be biologically destroyed. It'd be perfect if it didn't take time to damage the organism
Former NYSDOH asbestos lab technical diector here. PLM is not approved for air sample analysis for asbestos and is primarily used for bulk sample analysis. Phase contrast microscopy (PCM) was likley used in the initial air sample analysis to expedite the results for the towers collapse. Why they didn't just go to TEM analysis is beyond me. NYC has multiple TEM asbestos labs and samples could have easily delivered and expedited. PLM can be used to scan an air sample for larger fibers but it will not resolve fine fibers as the narrator indicates. True airborne asbestos concentrations during the towers collapse was likely through the roof.
better not worry about teflon or plastic in general. next decade we can just build a hotel on the great pacific garbage patch and make it a tourists attraction.
Sooo, if a single person kills another person, they get life in prison or the death penalty. But when company CEOs or government officials kill thousands, nothing happens. This has to change.
Another infuriating layer of the problem is that many of these environmental health disasters have global reach. If I am poisoned by a company in my own country, at least there is a chance that maybe one day I could bring a grievance to our legal system and effect some real change for the better. If I am poisoned by a company in another country? Forget it. And let's be honest, when I say "another country", what I mean is usually the US.
@be0wulfmarshallzIndependent reporting almost always does a better, more-timely job. By the time the MSM gets to it, it’s too late - and has impacted or killed scores.
@be0wulfmarshallz it doesnt seem like the scientists themselves but their bosses who call the shots on what will/won't be posted. Cue that example in the video of researchers being let go less than 24 hours after posting health hazard findings.
In the 1980s I worked in the "Asbestos Abatement Industry." We were responding to the AHERA regulation passed by congress. I am surprised you didn't mention that regulation as it was a huge economic shift to remove all asbestos from all public buildings in the US. My job title was called Industrial hygienist. I was the safety officer on Abatement job sites, tasked with sampling the air inside and outside the work area and setting up containment areas in heavy plastic and duct tape and using huge HEPA air filters to "trap" the particles. We cleared schools and other government buildings and the materials we collected and removed were double bagged and taken to the landfill where they were meant to be buried deep in a special area of the landfill for hazardous wastes. We - me and my workers - watched as the landfill trucks treated the "red bags" the same as all the other trash bags, breaking them open and working the materials into the soil and sand. Trying to do the right thing is sometimes near impossible. I should have gone to the newspapers or made an official complaint. i doubt it would have made a difference, perhaps only have gotten me fired. Asbestos is insidious
it's so infuriating to me that when a corporation gets threatened because something they do is provably poisoning and killing people, they immediately resort to faking data and slandering the person trying to save lives. And a lot of the time they get away with it too
The state exists as an apparatus to serve the interests of the ruling class (the billionaires). It is by design that everything will be done for the benefit of these companies, at the expense of common people.
Honestly, we need to change the law so that corporations don't get to be classed as a legal person, and to also end the concept of a "limited liability company". A person itself should be liable. The entire board of directors should be held personally liable for any deaths when they are in charge.
After a 28-year career of cleaning public buildings of asbestos, I was rewarded with asbestosis. I learned most of what you showed here but am shocked by several items. Excellent exposé. As a removal contractor it was nearly impossible to convince people of the dangers - accused of stirring the pot to drum up business. Never by me but that does happen, unfortunately.
your work might have been thankless but it was an incredible sacrifice. the people you helped might never know, but you did invaluable work. hopefully they’ll watch this or hear about it and be thankful after all
I live in a townhouse in a bigger city where I have asbestos wrapped ducts in my basement and it's definitely deteriorating. I've lived in this place for 6 years now. My landlord installed central air last summer and it just occurred to me that there's now forced air coming through those gravity furnace ducts. I don't know how worried I should be. Should I not turn on my AC? Should I contact the city?
Everyone who cleans asbestos are heros, hands down. Yall risk and sacrifice so much for the rest of us. And it's sickening to see how people don't take it seriously. I know a couple of people who do the same work and I hear from them how people are just like you said, think they're making a big deal out of nothing. Sad to think the propaganda of the past keeps some people from facing reality. When in reality we are only kept safe from knowing countless people sick from asbestos because of cleaners like you keeping us out of harms way. Thank you for what you've done for the world.
I spent 15 years removing asbestos on Naval Ships , power houses, petroleum yards, and schools . We had to build negative pressure containment with HEPA air cleaners while stripping naked wearing disposable suits, then shower off before exiting 3 stage decontamination unit . That was 30 years ago and I'm glad we had PPE like SCBA respirators and full face papr respirators .
What scares me the most is the army of people who willingly complied with the cover up and were somehow ok with not telling workers what was killing them.
@xanderkai6353 Uhhhh....yeah dude. It's the same concept, and it looks like you played the role of the "useful idiot" that lapped up the shot that skipped past clinical trials. Tell me, if they were so safe, why did the pharma corporations need legal immunities from lawsuits and criminal prosecutions? Source: My grandfather literally died after one Moderna shot caused myocarditis.
We just did a complete professional asbestos abatement for a 1840s Victorian Farmhouse. There was asbestos in the lathe and plaster joint compound, wall insulation, ceiling tiles, and attack vermiculite insulation. Every single wall and ceiling were torn out down to the studs and vacuumed washed and the air scrubbed with HEPPA filters with particulate sensors. It took 2 months of full time work. Now we have a completely rebuilt house and peace of mind that we and future residents will breathe safely.
Great video, guys! Super cool to be a part of it, and we're grateful to have been able to contribute! Thank you!! For anyone wondering, we'll drop our deep dive into the impact of asbestos on the human body this Sunday (2/22) morning at 8 AM MST.
I was so excited to see two of my favorite channels cross paths. As an engineer by trade, learning how the body works is just so cool. Though I'll never apply it to my career, applying that knowledge to every day life has been a fun journey!
Just sent a request for anatomy lab to test substantia Nigra for bipyridyl herbicide residue (Diquat or paraquat.) Comparing between parkinsons and control group. I believe this stuff bioaccumulates
@mat1583 Oxford University is putting out some really cool math videos on cellular transport and neurology, I didn't have the brain for all the math needed in engineering but I can follow the loose concepts. You should definitely check it out!
Don't poke it and sleep soundly. At least it won't melt and drip down on you in case of a fire, like later asbestos-free plastic ceilings do. My grandparents had those - in a lovely fake wood grain pattern. I'm glad their apartment never burned down. That's the thing with asbestos: As long as it's not disturbed and bound in some way, it's safe. If you ever move out of this place, do tell whoever comes next about it though.
Easy to remove. Use the silicon 3M mask. Spray and let water soak in. Drywall knife at lease 10 inch and it will fall off. If it doesn't soak with more water. I've used a mist setting on a hose before. A hand spray bottle won't work, at least a landscape sprayer is needed. Tyvek suit. Double bag in 6 mil plastic. If you need to the state will give you a disposal manifest.
Aerogel is extremely difficult to make, asbestos mining on the other hand extremely simple and wasteful to every life involved take a guess which route the Government took. Yeah thats right people are more disposable assets then recycling waste.
glass fibers / glass wool causes itching and irritation, asbestos fibers are much smaller. it feels like soft cloth or wool, totally harmless at first glance.
@gamerpaddy which makes is that much more dangerous. Seemingly harmless in nearly every perceivable way. …all the while that poor man (and everyone else who had the misfortune of handling asbestos before we learned the truth) was breathing in microscopic glass shards that become permanently lodged in every single cubic inch of his lungs Absolutely HORRIFYING!
I once saw some black and white factory footage of an asbestos mine. The guy was standing in a 10 feet tall pile of asbestos shovelling. All in a closed indoor area. I cannot imagine the health troubles he later had….
I thought that about disaster zones, war zones, demolition zones. I fear i been exposed to it slready but im also thinking we all must be exposed to it, it was everywhere at one time and still is 😮
my mom works on silicosis ( A disease caused by silica dust) she was watching this video and she said " we have to cut the lungs with saws the lungs are literally harder than a rock " oh and she also appreciated such a detailed video spreading awareness about Asbestosis !!
Australia did well to outright ban engineered stone countertops. The bench tops get cut up without proper safety in place releasing the silica dust and there was a surge in deaths in stonemasons here.
They did the first-responders and new-yorkers in general dirty. What would it have costed to hand out a couple of thousand masks and told people to be extra careful? Why pretend things are alright, when a bit of extra caution would've saved thousands of lives? People were anything but understanding, supportive, and solidary then, so there wouldn't have been any pushback. It's just so stupidly cruel to prevent people from wearing adequate personal protection. I can't understand what type of person does that. I managed a production department earlier, but always made it a point to inform everyone of the risks of the materials we were handling, and was a hard-ass regarding personal protection; always told them that we all work to live and that I wanted them to live long enough to be able to hear, smell, carry, and see their children and grandchildren. This didn't have a big impact on our bottom line nor our productivity, so it feels so dystopian to me how corporations pretend their industry would collapse with a smidge of extra OpEx.
That quote from an asbestos CEO literally justifying killing people because it's more profitable is a perfect example of why the entire modern business world is extremely problematic.
Well, "modern" isn't necessarily the right term - this is hardly a new phenomenon. That's just how business work if you let it. That's how the market regulates itself. Refusing to kill people for profit (if there is no disincentive like actually suffering catastrophic consequences on both personal and corporate level) is just economically inefficient. And inefficient companies naturally lose market share to more efficient ones - not burdened by such reservations.
@dog-ez2nu Generally the modern period is considered to be any time since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. But generally, most people would consider the 1940s to be part of the modern period regardless. It's recent enough that there's millions of people still alive who were alive at that point in time. I personally consider any time where people currently still alive were alive to be modern.
My grandfather died from asbestosis, working at shipyards in the 50's to 70's. It took years for him to finally succumb, but i'll never forget his rattling breath during his final years, it sounded like he was a living mummy. I was around 10 when he died, but i'll never forget that sound, even 30 years later.
During 9/11 I emailed every news organization I could think of along with the federal government pointing out that anyone working ground zero needs to be wearing a respirator, not just a mask. They had the EPA test the air and said it didn’t contain asbestos. I emailed them back stating my concern was with the dust from everything not necessarily asbestos. Of course nothing became of it.
as an asbestos analyst myself, i have found asbestos in kinetic sand, brake pads, gaskets, other forms of toys. we regularly test crayon samples, makeup, plaster paint toys, and a bunch of other things. we find it in soil from demolition work, etc. I go everywhere and think of potential asbestos, and have even walked past sites i knew contained asbestos, but everyone walks past it not knowing. it is scary knowing how prominent it is, and how little so many people know about it
Seeing the toy sand recall in Australia and now Dutch labs finding asbestos in seemingly half of the products they test, what is your opinion of it as a toy? Is it hysteria to ban it, since apparently it's abundant anyway, or would you advice it?
The bit that freaks me out is how much gets improperly disposed of. I know of one property owner who knew his old building contained asbestos. He bulldozed it, had the remains trucked to his county farm field, and had a huge bonfire. The smoke would have been heavily contaminated with asbestos, and then he buried the remains on farmland.
the question is how much do you find - it's always about the dosage. There's almost anything in everything but the relative amounts are the key difference. There's gold in seawater but it does not matter because the amounts are so small it makes no difference.
Correction for @veritasium: At 37:01 you refer to the air sampling used as Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM). That is incorrect, it was actually Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) used. The PLM method cannot be used for air samples. Also, I thought a little more mention towards the alternative viewpoint could have been given regarding the Long vs Short fiber arguments. There is some medical evidence that long fibers (> 5 μm) are more likely to drive disease. Not to say that short fibers are safe necessarily, but there is evidence longer fibers show a stronger correlation with asbestos-related diseases. The theory is that macrophages actually have an easier time breaking down the short, tiny (< 5 μm) fibers. But yeah, amazing video! Thank you for calling attention to this contaminant and the issues surrounding it!
Rich and white lol. Who owns these corporations? Sure ain't a foreign entity. Bet if we did a survey most are owned by wm. Have you seen the Epstein list? What does most of those men have in common?
When I was a kid in the 60s, I had a Gilbert minerology set. Among other things, like uranium, it had asbestos. I used to play with the asbestos, take it apart with tweezers, get it its fibers all over me and then go down to eat dinner. Again, this was in the 1960s and the hazards of asbestos were known in the 1920s! so why was this allowed? It boggles the mind.
Actually I think the hazards of asbestos were known much earlier than the 1920's The Roman writer Pliny the Elder observed that enslaved people who worked with asbestos cloth developed lung sickness. This is one of the earliest recorded links between asbestos and disease.
Asbestos where suspected to be dangerous almost all the way back to its discovery. Untill ~1920:s there where no proofs asbestos where dangerous, only suspected to be. After ~1920:s medicinal technology began to improve and discoveries confirming asbestos is in fact dangerous began to come. Asbestoscompanies did everything to scilence science and play down the dangers of asbestos, only to protect the industry and keep selling asbestos. Only as late as the 1990:s the different governments around the world banned asbestos. Still there are countries where asbestos is still used as much as before and are still compleetley leagal.
Wait till you learn how you deal with cleaning up asbestos..... fun fact "YOU DON'T" its literally unleashed a 10000 year minimum half life material that takes along time to break down and the more it breaks down the more dangerous the particles of it become...... there is no solution.
En España lo conocemos como amianto y cada vez que aparece en alguna construcción hay que pagar a una empresa especializada para retirarlo, no te dejan retirarlo por cuenta propia ni deshacerte del producto.
POLAND introduced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, even way before joining the EU, under the Act of 19 June 1997 on the Prohibition of the Use of Asbestos-Containing Products. The law prohibits the production, marketing, distribution, and installation of products containing asbestos. It entered fully into force in 1998. It covers all types: Chrysotile, Crocidolite, Amosite, Tremolite, Actinolite and Anthophyllite. The ban also has zero-tolerance approach. A product containing asbestos, regardless of percentage content is subject to the ban. We also have a national program aiming to fully eliminate all already existing asbestos (for example, in roofing on very old houses) by 2032.
One of the little-known facts, there was a 4th little pig in the 3 pigs story. He built his home from asbestos. And the wolf came to his house and huffed and puffed and died from mesothelioma.
There is an entire ghost town in Australia that is blue. They used to mine the rock there. Kids used to play in the stuff everyday. Every resident was breathing in this lovely stuff 24/7
@RunningBearQQ I've seen a lot of suspicious comments jumping in to defend asbestos and gaslight or downplay everything it has led to. Often just "yeah right", "you guys have a large imagination, huh?" or similar short posts that don't even try to argue anything, just derail. I wonder what that kind of propaganda costs. A few dollars per hundreds of thousands of comments? Such a deal. Is asbestos really the only resource Russia has to offer? One wouldn't think so.
I remember that. My grandparents got a payout because my grandfather working in a shipyard and my grandmother helped clean his clothes so they both got some.
I named my dog Asbestos because he was kind of fluffy and a similar colour. You should have seen people's faces when I was in the middle of a field screaming asbestos at the top of my lungs.
My family had a three generation owned insulation company. My great grandfather, great grandmother and grandfather all died from lung cancer. It was from prolonged exposure to asbestos.
49:55 I think it's funny how this channel clearly showed political biased and didn't miss the opportunity to bash Trump and praise the left. Makes sense when you look up top Dono's for this channel and the NGO's.
@TheTubejunky it’s kind of unavoidable when the right is so anti science, anti safety regulation and pro profits for their billionaire buddies. Trump literally just stripped power from the EPA. First find me a clip of Obama praising asbestos and Trump championing regulations for it and then we can talk about bias
Dear Veritasium team, As a devoted Greek subscriber to your channel. allow me to add the fun fact about the confusion regarding the words Άσβεστος (which in Greek is pronounced asvestos) and Αμίαντος (the latter being the one to describe the mineral in Greek language). The word amiantos comes from the Ancient Greek adjective ἀμίαντος (amiantos), which means "undefiled," "pure," or "unpolluted". It is derived from the privative prefix a- (meaning "not") and the verb miaino (μιαίνω - to stain, defile, or pollute). The mineral was given this name because it was believed to be "unstainable." In antiquity, people observed that if they threw a cloth made of asbestos into a fire, it would not burn; instead, it would emerge cleaner and whiter as the fire consumed any dirt or grime while leaving the mineral fibers intact. In most foreign languages, the term asbestos is used, which also has Greek roots: It comes from the word ἄσβεστος (asbestos/asvestos), formed by the privative a- and the verb sbennymi (σβέννυμι pronounced svennymi which means to quench or extinguish) and thus the word "asbestos" means "unquenchable" or "inextinguishable". In Ancient Greek texts, the term asbestos referred to quicklime (Calcium Oxide - CaO). In fact this word remains the same (in the form of Ασβέστης - asvestis) in Modern Greek. The use of "asbestos" to describe the fibrous mineral became standard in the West largely due to Pliny the Elder, who likely misapplied the term. While English uses "asbestos," the original Greek "amiantos" remains the basis for the word in many other languages, such as the French amiante, Italian amianto, and Spanish amianto. Many thanks to the Veritasium team for the extra-ordinary content
Yeah! That's right! In Spanish we use interchangeably "asbesto" or "amianto", though Amianto tends to sound very formal " high cultured", people would know more the word asbesto. But now I know the finer details. Thank you very much!
My grandpa died in 2005 due to a mass growing in his esophagus (throat) that was attributed to asbestos. He went from nothing seemingly wrong to passing away within a week or two, it was that fast. As soon as the doctor mentioned asbestos, my grandpa said it was his time in the Navy in WWII that caused it.
Naval station in Japan did renovations just last year 2025 and there were several dumpsters with hazard labels for asbestos. It's still everywhere and no one cares.
My Pop passed away like that as well but it took longer. He was an aircraft electrician in the Pacific Theatre WW2. He was such a nice man, Eric Robbins is his name. He used to kick my ass at ping pong at like 80 when I was around 12 lol
My grandfather died similarly in around 2020. Life-saving cancer treatment reacting with and causing movement of the asbestos ended up with him getting a very bad case of sepsis and passing away in the ICU. His asbestosis was attributed to his time as a railway plumber.
lost my mum a teacher due to it the classroom 2009, and my brother took his life a few years later ,my son was/is also deeply affected , devastating ,she was the matriarch
@Guillaume_Proulx Had, they renamed it Val-des-Sources in 2020 because of the negative connotations of asbestos. The old name was deserved though: it used to be the world's largest source of the stuff!
Most people assume asbestos was banned in the United States decades ago. The EPA banned one type - chrysotile, the only type still being actively imported - in March 2024. The other five types of asbestos remain unregulated. Manufacturers still have up to 12 years to comply. The companies knew it was deadly in 1935. That is 89 years between internal memos confirming the danger and the first federal ban. And the ban doesn't cover the asbestos already inside tens of millions of American buildings.
As an European, the way the US just blatantly doesn't care for its citizens well-being baffles me. In the EU, both production and import of all six types of asbestos have been banned since 2005...
@cinnamonsplash the EU has it's own issues. Also, I hate to break this to you, but there are more than 6 asbestos types and the EU has only banned 6.
I was in elementary school in the 1980s and thought *then* we’d already banned it and danger was limited to disturbing old construction. That we’re still talking about it 40 years later is now scaring me.
helped my parents put zonolite into their home sometime around 2012 😬 pretty sure companies were still just trying to get rid of the product following what happened in Libby because I don't think there was much more warning beyond "minimize your risk"
@ChrisLuttrellthey just had to ban coloured play-sand made in China, from Australian schools late 2025 cause it had asbestos fibres in the sand. Full hazmat teams going through kindergartens.
In Canada (QC) we even had a town that was called asbestos. When they announced they would change the name of the town, people jokingly said that they should rename it to fentanyl
Now that's funny rite there. One name is at the end of its cover-up, and one name is at the beginning of its cover-up. Why not just call the town Cover-up??? Def more mysterious...& fun.
Don't worry, potus drump will kill us all by starting wars with every country and elimating the epa or any regulating agency. Thanks. Oh yea, and it will effect the whole world too, not just the US so the majority of humans will have no control of their health and safety from now on.
As a person from India, I can confirm that there is a lot of Asbestos Sheet around us. You can almost always find an Asbestos sheet around 100m-500m from the place you are standing. These sheets are not covered by anything, they are directly exposed to the sun and air, and are likely to be damaged and go airborne. The sad truth is most of them is not aware of Asbestos danger, they see it like a normal cement sheet and are careless with it. _If you search Asbestos cutting in RUclips you'll find hundreds of Indians Cutting asbestos with No Mask_ These are very common is Rural areas. And the government is not even warning or banning Asbestos Cement sheets.
And then there's sheet rock, or drywall, which isn't made from asbestiform minerals (at least not always) but it's gympsum, which is rock dust you still should not breathe in.
Same in Ukraine, if you look at footage of the front line there must be thousands of buildings with Asbestos roofs and almost every one has broken sheets. Often you see them getting blown up. The number of Ukraine veterans that will develop lung cancer will be quite large. Just one more tragedy of this war.
@rupertrussell1 I grew up in Ukraine. These asbestos roof sheets (we call it shifer) were pretty much everywhere. Even outdoor terraces in my kindergarten were covered with it. As young boys we could easily find some of these sheets randomly on the street. We would break them with stones, or even with our heads for fun. The only thing we were told not to do is to put it in fire. Of course we did it: it would crack-explode after 20-30 seconds in bonfire.
@aGGeRReSThat is scary to read. I don't remember properly but i might've (everyone in Indian rural area might've) just scratched/breaked some asbestos Sheet It's just so common in our area.
turns out the real poison were the corporations we made along the way Edit 2: Please don't respond to this decade old comment, it's not even that good Edit 3: It's sarcasm, even the video is not a decade old. I can't even smile here without people getting mad at me here. Chill guys wth
The people running those corporations. The same for people running EPA and other related government agencies. Same for lobbyists. Same for politicians receiving money from lobbyists.
There’s an academic article from the 70’s called “television delivers customers” the twist of irony is, by consuming this video, you are being sold as a viewer. Companies buy your attention seemingly free to you, and the cost is your (our) subconscious “marketing” decisions, how we spend money via ads.
This absolutely pisses me off. As someone who was born in 2003, I thought asbestos was gone-gone, a before-my-time issue, only present in old buildings. To hear that it's still everywhere because money-hungry corporations and weak-minded or corrupt governments don't care about the lives of human beings is insane to me. I cannot fathom the cold-hearted psychopathy needed to lobby against or try and argue semantics regarding asbestos regulations and bans. The utter fury I feel regarding this is almost overwhelming.
I'm also a child from 2003 and I agree with a lot of what you're saying. Great anger. Overwhelming fury. You put it into words better than I could. I feel this anger towards not only asbestos, but all kinds of plastic too. Plastic is a massive problem.
Its more accurate to say... "It is everywhere... Because it IS EVERYWHERE" I thought it was a man made thing that used to be in things, mostly insulation I didn't know it was probably in my backyard, and the desert i dirtbike through
What's crazier is that it says (currently) "show transcript", but finds no transcript. I've never seen that except where there has, in fact, no transcript been generated, and in those cases "show transcript" does not appear. With Derek gone, I think the whole production values are collapsing altogether.
I stopped watching at 3 minutes. I used to love the videos on this channel, but I am not watching 50 minutes of them baiting us with names they won't drop
41:11 My professor of aeolian physical geography at the KU Leuven in Belgium worked on the Las Vegas case a long time. He studied the way the amphiboles from the rock formations surrounding Las Vegas could be loosened up by weather and human activity and so be blown into the city. Him and his team of local specialists were long forced to remain quiet, having their publications be delayed, blocked and edited countless times.
I mean yes nature can be harmful but on the other hand you will have people who oppose any major changes to the environment. The middle ground is that you can choose where to live but people lived for millenia in places which are dangerou, from naturally contaminated water to various disasters etc. The question is, how much we want to change the nature around to feel comfortable - people will polute their environment in other means anyway. I belive there are easily two extremes on this topic as them walking in full PPE is kinda over the top... I collected actinolite and we even mined it in limited way which creates way more dust than just walking around... I can guarantee I wont die due to exposure of such day at that site. Of course its another thing for people living there but I believe similar can be said about fine silica particles in arid areas.
I worked with Dirk on a couple of projects during his time in Las Vegas. Nice to see one of his students here! I learned a great deal from him about eolian processes over the years.
I have had him as my professor last semester and many students including me were inspired by his stories. It is a shame how much of human health has been, and still is being pushed aside in the name of money and politics
@s.v.o.579Very well ;) 15/20 on the aeolean part, 16/20 in total! Got annoyed by the amount of practical essays though, for a 6spt subject in the busiest semester of the bachelor (for a geologist at least) it was too much work to write them, especially in combination with GIS...
My granddad died of Asbestos based Mesothelioma and it was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to witness. It turn my 65 year old granddad, who ran his own farm, was a pillar of his small town, the man who still ran his own woodworking shop, into someone unrecognizable. It was less than two years after his diagnosis that he died, literally withered away. He went from the strongest man I’d ever known, the patriarch of our family, to a literal shell of himself, skin over bones who couldn’t even breathe on his own anymore. Asbestos isn’t inherently evil, but what we’ve done with it even with all this knowledge is.
Sorry to hear that. My Uncle was a farmer and he went the same way. Horribly. I was exposed to a big cloud of it one time doing HVAC work on an ancient furnace and having been lied too about it by my boss at the time. I still worry about it occasionally but I think long term exposure is far worse than a one time exposure. But who knows
@johnfyten3392my aunt and dad (his kids) get checked regularly still because we don’t know where he got exposed and loved to bring his kids to work with him. It’s really scary being in that situation.
The UK fully banned its use in all forms 1999 (and blue & brown asbestos were banned way back in 1985), and there are tight regulations about its removal and disposal. Indeed, one of the biggest fears of anyone doing renovations to commercial premises here is not the cost of the renovations, but the cost of finding asbestos.
@real_electricmonk Been on multiple worksites where asbestos was found, and the work got delayed by months 😂 One recent project to demolish an old swimming pool building and replace it by a new larger one, the demolition crew knew in advance that there was asbestos in the Sauna rooms, And there had been asbestos in the roof of the building but that had been removed when the roof was redone 20 years earlier. Both of which was correct and no more asbestos was found in the building. when the excavators came in and started digging they found the entire old roof under the flowerbeds though, old roof had just been thrown on the ground and covered by a thin layer of soil 🤣
@real_electricmonk My office in Central London is in a small building with asbestos in doors, sills, walls etc. It is all locked in under epoxy and paint, so safe. Everywhere that asbestos is known to be present is stickered to ensure no-one decided to get drill-happy. A few years back they had to strip out the small room containing the steam plant. This required hazmat suits a hazmat tent and continuous damping and irrigation for a fortnight. Sitting by my (sealed) asbestos windowsill, I know this building will be safe from developers for years, because the cost (to mitigate the danger) of pulling it down would far outweigh the cost of a replacement building. A year or so ago I saw some corrugated asbestos roofing dumped in a ditch. Presumably because a dodgy builder didn't want to pay for its disposal. You don't often see formed asbestos these days.
Yup, that was our concern when we bought our first home (late 60's build in the UK), and one of the first things I did was pay for an asbestos check on the plaster. Thankfully it came back NADIS (No Asbestos Detected In Sample), but that doesn't mean it doesn't contain any, just that none was detected, but the relief of not having to deal with it was palpable to say the least. The garage roof on the other hand? That almost certainly contains Asbestos and I'm not excited for when we decide to replace it. Even if it did contain asbestos, I'd rather deal with that than rent a home ever again.
It was financially impossible to clear out the WTC complex, monetarily unfeasible to demolish the buildings due to the asbestos... The solution? Terrorism insurance that paid out in mere months after being taken out. Sus af. Never forget tower 7 went down with its two big brothers on its own. Absolutely vile behavior by those who have enough money to consider you and I less than rats.
Frustrated phagocytosis is the funniest name for something so deadly. Like I’m just imagining the cell swearing like a sailor trying to break the asbestos 😂
It seems almost made-up, that all of this happened over and over. Lead in fuel, asbestos in everything and PFAS everywhere. Companies denying evidence, people silenced, and nobody judged. In the light of these crimes, no wonder nobody is getting arrested for Epstein files. There is no real justice in US.
It's just us not justice. The people that are control of power dictate everything without consequences. such is the system that we've allowed to fester over time.
I don't know if it's in the video, but my favourite fact about Asbestos is that back in ABOUT the 13th -14th century, there is a known recording of an English King who would brag about his fireproof table cloths and face cloths. We now know they were made out of plant fibers and asbestos fibers, so when he would set them on fore, the main cloth would burn leaving an asbestos cloth behind. Great party trick, probably responsible for the downfall of his entire lineage to a mysterious wasting disease.....
It wasn't an English king, it was Charlemagne king of the Frank's and first holy roman emperor. There also an older version from the han dynasty in China but it involves a jacket rather than a table cloth.
I‘m not claiming to know for sure but I am certified to work with it professionally and when we were studying it we were told that same story and that that maneuver was actually mostly safe and wouldn‘t release a significant amount of fibres. It’s extremely heat resistent.
In ancient Greece they made shiny white tablecloths out of asbestos. You could simply toss them dirty into a fire and they would come out of it shiny white again. The Greeks ALSO noted (based on their records that survived) that slaves who mined asbestos and wove asbestos died of lung diseases more often than slaves who did neither.
Wow! As a long time viewer, this channel really went from (relatively) short scientific videos to full blown investigative journalism, while keeping its friendly scientific approach. You guys truly are the best!
Yeah, well I guess some acquisitions can be good. I was scared they would go downhill after the sale of the channel but apparently it has (so far) just upped the ability to go deeper and longer. EUV video was out of this world
@colwem he made an explanation video. He has kids and a family, and needed time off. The acquisition has been good so far; it's already been a couple of years. I'm glad he can spend more time with his family.
I was born and raised in Libby, MT. I've known many people who have died from asbestos related illnesses and have family members suffering from them. Thank you for sharing this story.
Khan Academy. I promise, it’s worth taking some time to catch yourself up on K-12 math. It’ll make the science videos you watch more interesting and gratifying
@alexweschler9470veritasium regularly uses math well beyond a k-12 comprehension level but attempt to explain it in a simplified way. For some it just doesn’t click like that for them and this channel post videos that can be extraordinarily difficult to understand without learning math you’ve never seen before.Your condescension of someone asking for a different type of content that’s easier to comprehend shows your lack of intelligence. I understand your most likely a teen but someone needs to let you know that insulting someone’s intelligence is a trait most utilized by individuals who in fact lack intelligence in an attempt to deflect attention from themselves and sometimes just an attempt to assure one’s self they are above average . I hope you take this information and use it to learn and better yourself. Have a great day!
I agree! I love these videos, don’t get me wrong, the ones that are more technical are enjoyable to me but a lot of the time I don’t have the freedom to sit and be taught semi complex and complex math and physics just to enjoy a video. Videos like this one are much easier to digest and enjoy! Have a good day!
@ghajik. How on earth are you supposed to represent all the facts in this video in that shitty TikTok format? There's just no way to do that Oh, and you have to compete with brain-rotting "6 7 tung tung sahur" AI videos, obviously.
To be fair, the winds are usually from the SouthWest (or North in the winter), not from the Boulder City area. I was born and raised here, lived my entire life here other than 8 years in the military. I'm not dead yet at 52. This video has made me rethink any offroad activities in that area for sure. Not that I'm into ATV's and the like, dust was never appealing to me, I prefer the comfort of my Tacoma thank you. It has made me consider using a mask when we have dust storms, but we don't have those often, and they often come from the North. Either way you cut it, that dust isn't healthy regardless. Our buildings should be good. Back when I was in jr. high, we had to do double sessions to accommodate removing asbestos from our sister school. Although some older homes built in the 1940's and 50's might be problematic.
That's true for pretty much most of the dust that happens in the world, which is why you should be putting on a mask. Although I would say the bigger problem and bigger reason for the mask would be the fungus that if it infects your body will make you look like something out of a horror movie and it is not a fun way to go and the treatment is unbelievably brutal. Every now and then I see someone in Vegas with it. Valley fever is not cool. Here's the good news though. Asbestos actually refers to multiple different minerals and the stuff that is in the natural dust is nowhere near as nasty as the stuff from freshly mined or damaged in human capacity stuff because of the weathering. But yeah it kind of freaked me out a bit too and I had to look into it.
That place is the pits literally heard a story how they fleace visitors. Mosses ran out of remove on his tablets but comming in at no.11 was thou shalt not gsmble ESPCIALLYl with peoples lives.
@JimmyMon777 Correct. The geology is such that the VALLEY is safe, and the wind blows just the rights ways to send it all down into Arizona - though I suspect Searchlight and the surrounding areas down towards Needles are not so lucky. Up higher in the hills (new construction?) and outside of it, less so. This is due also to the very high concentrations of radioactive and rare earths in the local mountains surrounding Nevada. So, as long as you don't go out in those areas and start poking around, you're fine.
Back in my hometown, there's a movie theater and it used to have a big curtain and across the bottom of it was printed in 2ft tall letters "ASBESTOS". And scratchy horse hair seats.
My grandad died from lung cancer due to exposure from working with asbestos and I was just a kid but I remember our family got a payout from the company and we went to Disneyland Paris shorty after it opened, I'd have preferred to keep my grandad though, but so this story hits me a little different, thank you for your reporting.
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👍👍
Asbestos is not technically a chemical "toxin" it is not poisonous . "frustrated phagocytosis" is the issue
you did a pretty shitty job presenting asbestos. unfortunately you played into a lot of stereotypes and just haven't fairly presented this, which makes me skeptical of your overall approach. to reality.
Stop using ground news. Biased billionaire propaganda designed to appear neutral. Never pay a CENT for the bourgeoisie to tell you how to view the world.
Thumbs down and not watching any vid with that sponsor. Do better Derek.
good video
Those asbestos cigarettes really tried to maximum lung cancer potential.
Hell yeah we be doing cancermaxxing
Small cell carcinoma speedrun any%
lung cancer speed run any%
what a deal! 2 cancer types in one!
It made a great combination when breathing leaded gas fumes when filling up
And when someone says to you "it's safe, it's natural!" remember: asbestos is also 100% natural.
Lol so is Arsenic. And so is Uranium...
@chris101ward And lead.
@chris101wardand all the other elements in excess.
Cancer is completely normal phenomenon. 3.6 stage cancer is not great, not terrible.
So is nuclear power - or, at least, naturally occurring moderated chain reactions in uranium have been detected.
Nice, a video on the history of how we eliminated asbestos…oh. Oh no.
Aspestos is everywhere , the level of contamination is impossible to measure . Automobiles had Asbestos brake linings , clutch discs , so if you were near an intersection the material built up against the curbs .
They require testing of building, to determine the presence of Asbestos , but the soil around the building doesn’t require testing , which probably is also contaminated . 👍🇨🇦
@cameronhamer9432 Lead around older homes is almost certainly present also. I rehabbed houses and probably don't want to know what was present. I looked for fiber-based tape around ducts, avoided popcorn ceilings and _textured_ drywall and more, but old flooring, and paper linings are everywhere.
@cameronhamer9432 And as was clear from the last part, there are areas of the world where asbestos fibres come to the surface "naturally".
The question is how these natural asbestos areas compare to things like radon gas, arsenic in water (and therefor in rice) etc.
Concentrating these materials and compounds is something we can chose to not do.
Not like this.....not like this.
Asbestos mines were still up and operating until just a few years ago, we never really eliminated it we just stopped using it for consumer goods.
Greetings from Japan.
In Japan, we are taught in school that asbestos is "dangerous," but I never knew the full historical background until now. This was very educational. Thank you!
same in america
@TommyScienceCare don’t even get the American education system involved
@TommyScienceCareThey were/are very stressed about aspestos in Australia. Most people know how harmful it is
In Ukraine it's the same. It's amazing to me. How it still remains so widespread and so poorly restricted.
Although it would seem how many countries teach this in school.
@yurik8468
Exactly! It’s surprising that despite what we learn in school, the reality hasn't changed much. Thank you for sharing the situation in Ukraine. Stay safe!
The 1% rule is wild. Imagine if a restaurant served you a meal that was 1% raw sewage and told you it was "sewage free."
1% is so much as well 😭 like one gram per one hundred grams
There are similar guidelines for food production. Don't look them up.
@jekasolomonyeah you’ll be terrified
You see the same garbage in Tequila. It'll be advertised as white tequila, but then they add flavorings that they don't have to report because it's under some arbitrary number.
@jekasolomon you mean you don't want to know how many rat hairs are allowed per ounce of pasta?
When I was a child (in UK) I lived next door to someone who did asbestos surveys for construction. I vividly remember her telling me that people treated her like a villain, because if she found asbestos the construction would get delayed and cost a lot more. She also said she didn't care there was never any thanks because she was just happy she had saved them from horrific health issues and possibly death. We are lucky people like her, the experts you spoke to in this video, and journalists like yourselves do the stuff that they do
My wife works for a german government building agency and some of her colleagues there would on purpose not do the stricter test, that can detect asbestos below 1% even when they suspect asbestos there, because it would delay construction and raise costs. She issued the stricter test, of course they found asbestos, and she was the boo woman. In the end they had to do an air-tight construction site, but the workers would eat their lunch in there without masks. So she issued warnings and threatened to contract penalties. Many don't take it serious at all and view it more as a nuisance, I guess because you can't see it and the consequences take years to materialize.
That’s what I do for a living (and my father) here in NYC. God bless!
My school still had asbestos!!! I started in 2019, school was destroyed in 2022. Am i cooked? we used to steal the asbestos stickers on the wall and put them on our laptops. I think this scared the teachers alot but we thought it was hilarious. I even still have my asbestos sticker at home, I keep it like a trophy, maybe one day a keepsake to give to my lawyers 😂😂
@samurai-j2w if it was in the walls, it was safe. Its when its disturbed that its a hazard.
@samurai-j2wmy school was the same and I have family friends that professionally clean asbestos. If it was "sealed" in an environment you couldn't get to, like the walls or inside the ceiling (but not in the air path of duct work) you should be fine. Asbestos is like a sleeping threat that only enters your lungs when suspended in the air. If it wasn't touched at all, by hands, equipment, or air pressure then you shouldn't be at an increased risk.
Feel like I've heard this story before
"Company produced a bad thing, claimed it wasn't bad, declared it was legally not bad, secretly knew it was bad, bad product does immeasurable damage and killed countless people, owners of the company continued to profit of bad thing even after everyone knows and agrees its bad, and now their kids are trust fund babies with massive amounts of wealth while no one in the family ever being held accountable"
Yes, it gives capitalism a bad name
Another day in capitalism
@mojojojo813If it has a formula and can be predicted, it is not random. It's a pattern.
You missed the "and repeat" part of the equation. The new generation will do the same thing with a new product.
@mojojojo813what gives it a good name? 😅
in the US, an act of mass poisoning can result in a death sentence, there was a person who poisoned (and killed) their singular roommate in a way that also endangered other residents of the same dorm, that person got the death sentence, meanwhile executives of companies that poison and kill thousands (potentially millions) are just.... not facing any consequence?
the difference is acting privately vs acting corporately
What person are you talking about? wanted to look up the case
@Bowowf .
@Bowowf Lin Senhao, Fudan poisoning case in China
@JoJo-tq4qjthat’s not in the US as the commenter suggests
As someone who spent 3 years as an asbestos sample analyst, this video is so necessary. Still, average people are completely unaware how bad asbestos is
We "average people" are completely aware, but please tell us what we're supposed to do about it. We'll use all this power & wealthy we have, right?
I'm aware that asbestos in its loose form is bad. I'm aware (or at least hoping) that anything new i buy from the hardwarestore doesn't have it in it. I hope EU Regulations got it covered, otherwise i believe it would've been mentioned in this video.
The roof of my open shed has asbestos in it. As long as its not leaking im not planing on doing anything with it. When the time comes and i have to take it down i'll get all the precautions working on it.
Though im in healthcare, i can definitely say everyone knows about asbestos.
@hiconpro1181this is a complicated one. no such thing as deadly drugs only deadly doses. your insulation 100000% leaks small fibers. however they are generally isolated from you so vey very little actually gets out from inside the walls however once in a blue moon some will leave, the longer the insulation has not been touched the better but youll always have some seepage just not a relivant amount. even smoking 1 cigarette a week has absolutely no documentable longturm sideeffects. just dont go digging in it and hope your vents are well sealed thats about all i can say.
I said it a bit above, but in France it's literally banned since about 20years. You cannot sell, use it, build with it, make anything with it. When you find small trace of it in your building you are banned to do any construction or renovation unless/until decontaminated.
Asbestos walked so plastics could run
Fly 🪰
asbestos is much much worse than plastic...
@alyssahopson5926 its pretty similar, actually
@alyssahopson5926 No, it's really not. I don't remember Asbestos leaching into your brain and testicles.
@mathavianthat’s because asbestos immediately cuts up the lungs and is so inflammatory that it is encircled by the immune system in the immediate vicinity where it entered the body.
Plastics are quite inert, and non reactive. That’s why they are able to enter your brain and testicles. You just proved the other guys point.
My grandfather is full of lead. My father is full of asbestos and I am full of PFAS. Can't wait to see what awaits the children in the future...
Global thermonuclear holocaust
Your sperm cells must be immune to damage
Atrazine, already gay
Full of AI microchips in the brain
Tide pods.
とても素晴らしく、興味深い内容でした。
日本でもアスベストを含む建材を使ったビルがたくさんに存在しています。
そのビルが解体される時には現場作業員や周辺住民に大変な配慮が必要であり、たまにニュースになることもあります。
これはアスベストに限りませんが(動画内でタバコの例が出たように)、過去には安全で万能のように思えた物質も、時を経て有害だと発覚する事例が後をたちません。悲しいですが、歴史は繰り返していくのだと実感しました。
この動画をシェアしていただき本当にありがとうございました。
If industry really wanted a cheap. abundant material that wouldn't ignite under any circumstance, they could have simply purchased my competitor's firewood.
underrated marketing right here!
Why would anybody sell elm anyways
Burn, ironically
There's a local guy who sells aspen and cottonwood.
lol
13:33 "Helping out workers would set a dangerous precedent"
Ah yes, the dangers of helping people who are sick.
Combine it with X-ray radiation(chest X-rays)
Peak capitalism in action. Profits over people in every aspect.
@guysumpthin2974 Radium, Pesticides, cigarettes, asbestos, petrochemicals, war….the list is endless. At some point there has to be companies and people held to account.
The asbestos scandals in Rochdale and Leeds (UK) are infuriating and heartbreaking. It took years for the authorities to take action. Before this the authorities actively assisted the employer to deny there was a problem. Terrible.
@theeniwetoksymphonyorchest7580 My Gran probably wrapped steam pipes from asbestos mined from there for the Royal Navy in WW2. She died of asbestosis drowned in her own lungs. I was only a child and seeing her like that, well suffice to say no one deserves to go out like that. It broke me as a child seeing that.
I'd just like to call out a possible point of confusion. Early on in the video it is implied that the reason macrophages can not digest asbestos fibers is because of their long size. This in turn implies that shorter asbestos fibers are not as problematic (since they can be engulfed). Then, later in the video, it says that many short asbestos fibers (under 5 microns) are being ignored and not measured or counted. I looked it up, and macrophages are ~20 microns in length. In practice, macrophages CAN engulf shorter fibers. But macrophages STILL can NOT digest / destroy them, and will die trying. There is essentially nothing in the human body (to my knowledge) that can break down and extricate asbestos fibers (no matter the length) once they are in your body. The problem with asbestos fibers is NOT the length, but the chemical / atomic composition which resists all known biological means of destruction and flushing. Fun!
Thank you
Also that's reminds me of forever chemicals
w comment
This is literally chemical warfare's final frontier, just super fine material that can get inside everything with no issues and cannot be biologically destroyed. It'd be perfect if it didn't take time to damage the organism
This is the same mechanism behind EVALI no?
Former NYSDOH asbestos lab technical diector here. PLM is not approved for air sample analysis for asbestos and is primarily used for bulk sample analysis. Phase contrast microscopy (PCM) was likley used in the initial air sample analysis to expedite the results for the towers collapse. Why they didn't just go to TEM analysis is beyond me. NYC has multiple TEM asbestos labs and samples could have easily delivered and expedited. PLM can be used to scan an air sample for larger fibers but it will not resolve fine fibers as the narrator indicates. True airborne asbestos concentrations during the towers collapse was likely through the roof.
asbestos files just dropped
And what a shock, just like the other “files”, the real perpetrators go free while poor working class folks get their lives ruined. Same old story.
trump has a conspiracy that it's good for you. wish i were kidding. Look it up.
better not worry about teflon or plastic in general.
next decade we can just build a hotel on the great pacific garbage patch and make it a tourists attraction.
Drinking game: drink every time a file is dropped onto a table
Asbestos still innocent compared to trump
Sooo, if a single person kills another person, they get life in prison or the death penalty. But when company CEOs or government officials kill thousands, nothing happens. This has to change.
One death is murder, a thousand merely a statistic. That hasn't changed in thousands of years of recorded history.
@FluidKaos not only did you misquote, its also not even the meaning of it
Another infuriating layer of the problem is that many of these environmental health disasters have global reach. If I am poisoned by a company in my own country, at least there is a chance that maybe one day I could bring a grievance to our legal system and effect some real change for the better. If I am poisoned by a company in another country? Forget it. And let's be honest, when I say "another country", what I mean is usually the US.
Get on it
luigi understood this for what it's worth. he was just being dexter.
Veritasium is the new 60 Minutes or Frontline for science & health reporting.
You know civilization has fallen when youtubers do better reporting than anyone else including government scientists.
@be0wulfmarshallzIndependent reporting almost always does a better, more-timely job. By the time the MSM gets to it, it’s too late - and has impacted or killed scores.
@be0wulfmarshallz it doesnt seem like the scientists themselves but their bosses who call the shots on what will/won't be posted. Cue that example in the video of researchers being let go less than 24 hours after posting health hazard findings.
Let's hope it retains its integrity and doesn't go the way of 60 Minutes/CBS.
Asbestos is unfortunately old news
In the 1980s I worked in the "Asbestos Abatement Industry." We were responding to the AHERA regulation passed by congress. I am surprised you didn't mention that regulation as it was a huge economic shift to remove all asbestos from all public buildings in the US. My job title was called Industrial hygienist. I was the safety officer on Abatement job sites, tasked with sampling the air inside and outside the work area and setting up containment areas in heavy plastic and duct tape and using huge HEPA air filters to "trap" the particles. We cleared schools and other government buildings and the materials we collected and removed were double bagged and taken to the landfill where they were meant to be buried deep in a special area of the landfill for hazardous wastes. We - me and my workers - watched as the landfill trucks treated the "red bags" the same as all the other trash bags, breaking them open and working the materials into the soil and sand. Trying to do the right thing is sometimes near impossible. I should have gone to the newspapers or made an official complaint. i doubt it would have made a difference, perhaps only have gotten me fired. Asbestos is insidious
it's so infuriating to me that when a corporation gets threatened because something they do is provably poisoning and killing people, they immediately resort to faking data and slandering the person trying to save lives. And a lot of the time they get away with it too
The state exists as an apparatus to serve the interests of the ruling class (the billionaires). It is by design that everything will be done for the benefit of these companies, at the expense of common people.
Honestly, we need to change the law so that corporations don't get to be classed as a legal person, and to also end the concept of a "limited liability company". A person itself should be liable. The entire board of directors should be held personally liable for any deaths when they are in charge.
profits over people. capitalism, or more accurately predatory capitalism, you gotta love it - not
it's the American way. Privatize the profits and socialize the losses (cancer) to everyone else
Enjoy capitalism, profit over people
After a 28-year career of cleaning public buildings of asbestos, I was rewarded with asbestosis. I learned most of what you showed here but am shocked by several items. Excellent exposé.
As a removal contractor it was nearly impossible to convince people of the dangers - accused of stirring the pot to drum up business. Never by me but that does happen, unfortunately.
your work might have been thankless but it was an incredible sacrifice. the people you helped might never know, but you did invaluable work. hopefully they’ll watch this or hear about it and be thankful after all
sure you did
I live in a townhouse in a bigger city where I have asbestos wrapped ducts in my basement and it's definitely deteriorating. I've lived in this place for 6 years now. My landlord installed central air last summer and it just occurred to me that there's now forced air coming through those gravity furnace ducts. I don't know how worried I should be. Should I not turn on my AC? Should I contact the city?
Everyone who cleans asbestos are heros, hands down. Yall risk and sacrifice so much for the rest of us. And it's sickening to see how people don't take it seriously. I know a couple of people who do the same work and I hear from them how people are just like you said, think they're making a big deal out of nothing. Sad to think the propaganda of the past keeps some people from facing reality. When in reality we are only kept safe from knowing countless people sick from asbestos because of cleaners like you keeping us out of harms way. Thank you for what you've done for the world.
I spent 15 years removing asbestos on Naval Ships , power houses, petroleum yards, and schools . We had to build negative pressure containment with HEPA air cleaners while stripping naked wearing disposable suits, then shower off before exiting 3 stage decontamination unit . That was 30 years ago and I'm glad we had PPE like SCBA respirators and full face papr respirators .
What scares me the most is the army of people who willingly complied with the cover up and were somehow ok with not telling workers what was killing them.
Yet we have morons today who think the COVID vaccine is safe and that there's no way there could be a coverup.
@alt@althepsyphros3314 uhhh…no. just no.
@xanderkai6353
Uhhhh....yeah dude. It's the same concept, and it looks like you played the role of the "useful idiot" that lapped up the shot that skipped past clinical trials. Tell me, if they were so safe, why did the pharma corporations need legal immunities from lawsuits and criminal prosecutions?
Source: My grandfather literally died after one Moderna shot caused myocarditis.
@UndertakerU2berI’m sorry for your loss.
Ignorance is bliss and NDA's take care of the rest.
We just did a complete professional asbestos abatement for a 1840s Victorian Farmhouse. There was asbestos in the lathe and plaster joint compound, wall insulation, ceiling tiles, and attack vermiculite insulation. Every single wall and ceiling were torn out down to the studs and vacuumed washed and the air scrubbed with HEPPA filters with particulate sensors. It took 2 months of full time work. Now we have a completely rebuilt house and peace of mind that we and future residents will breathe safely.
Great video, guys! Super cool to be a part of it, and we're grateful to have been able to contribute! Thank you!! For anyone wondering, we'll drop our deep dive into the impact of asbestos on the human body this Sunday (2/22) morning at 8 AM MST.
I was so excited to see two of my favorite channels cross paths. As an engineer by trade, learning how the body works is just so cool. Though I'll never apply it to my career, applying that knowledge to every day life has been a fun journey!
22nd feb right?
Not march, if u mean "this sunday"
Say hello to my guy Geoffrey 😅
Just sent a request for anatomy lab to test substantia Nigra for bipyridyl herbicide residue (Diquat or paraquat.) Comparing between parkinsons and control group. I believe this stuff bioaccumulates
@mat1583 Oxford University is putting out some really cool math videos on cellular transport and neurology, I didn't have the brain for all the math needed in engineering but I can follow the loose concepts. You should definitely check it out!
what a great vid to watch living under my 60 year old popcorn ceiling!
Don't poke it and sleep soundly. At least it won't melt and drip down on you in case of a fire, like later asbestos-free plastic ceilings do. My grandparents had those - in a lovely fake wood grain pattern. I'm glad their apartment never burned down.
That's the thing with asbestos: As long as it's not disturbed and bound in some way, it's safe.
If you ever move out of this place, do tell whoever comes next about it though.
Poking asbestos is my hobby
Easy to remove. Use the silicon 3M mask. Spray and let water soak in. Drywall knife at lease 10 inch and it will fall off.
If it doesn't soak with more water.
I've used a mist setting on a hose before.
A hand spray bottle won't work, at least a landscape sprayer is needed.
Tyvek suit.
Double bag in 6 mil plastic.
If you need to the state will give you a disposal manifest.
2019: i waterproofed myself with aerogel
2026: i fireproofed myself with asbestos
Satan probably found out the hard way that sinners who died of asbestos exposure can't burn
Aerogel is extremely difficult to make, asbestos mining on the other hand extremely simple and wasteful to every life involved take a guess which route the Government took. Yeah thats right people are more disposable assets then recycling waste.
what is on with that and aerogel specifically hahhaa be careful people :D
20 years later : replaces Asbestos with Aerogel in title
@novusparadium9430 From what personal experience do you conclude asbestos, or any other kind of mining in the US, is “extremely simple”?
love how the sections of the video correspond to the file boxes in the back
3:00 watching that guy in the black and white video twisting that asbestos around with his bare hands made my skin crawl.
glass fibers / glass wool causes itching and irritation, asbestos fibers are much smaller. it feels like soft cloth or wool, totally harmless at first glance.
Actually at that exact point, he brings his hand (that was working with the material) up to his face to adjust his glasses.
Off-roading is a hazard for everyone following the leading car/truck/bike
@gamerpaddy which makes is that much more dangerous. Seemingly harmless in nearly every perceivable way.
…all the while that poor man (and everyone else who had the misfortune of handling asbestos before we learned the truth) was breathing in microscopic glass shards that become permanently lodged in every single cubic inch of his lungs
Absolutely HORRIFYING!
I once saw some black and white factory footage of an asbestos mine. The guy was standing in a 10 feet tall pile of asbestos shovelling. All in a closed indoor area. I cannot imagine the health troubles he later had….
Every time I watch a tornado video I think of the asbestos it's probably stirring up and tossing high into the air and spreading everywhere.
Damn tornadoes.
I thought that about disaster zones, war zones, demolition zones.
I fear i been exposed to it slready but im also thinking we all must be exposed to it, it was everywhere at one time and still is 😮
yikes, i didn't even think of that
@serinawong2001 Even worse than having sharks in the tornado.
reminds me of the mucormycosis deaths caused by the Joplin EF-5
my mom works on silicosis ( A disease caused by silica dust) she was watching this video and she said " we have to cut the lungs with saws the lungs are literally harder than a rock " oh and she also appreciated such a detailed video spreading awareness about Asbestosis !!
thats grim 😥
I wish your mom well on her work.
One of my best buddies is riddled with copd and silicosis, pretty ugly disease
@ChoppaShoppa45 yes scientist all around the world work hard to save us .... bless them
Australia did well to outright ban engineered stone countertops. The bench tops get cut up without proper safety in place releasing the silica dust and there was a surge in deaths in stonemasons here.
@chairmangarf "Australia destroys a market for no reason instead of demanding the most light regulation" is 99% of their history to be fair.
They did the first-responders and new-yorkers in general dirty. What would it have costed to hand out a couple of thousand masks and told people to be extra careful? Why pretend things are alright, when a bit of extra caution would've saved thousands of lives? People were anything but understanding, supportive, and solidary then, so there wouldn't have been any pushback. It's just so stupidly cruel to prevent people from wearing adequate personal protection. I can't understand what type of person does that.
I managed a production department earlier, but always made it a point to inform everyone of the risks of the materials we were handling, and was a hard-ass regarding personal protection; always told them that we all work to live and that I wanted them to live long enough to be able to hear, smell, carry, and see their children and grandchildren. This didn't have a big impact on our bottom line nor our productivity, so it feels so dystopian to me how corporations pretend their industry would collapse with a smidge of extra OpEx.
That quote from an asbestos CEO literally justifying killing people because it's more profitable is a perfect example of why the entire modern business world is extremely problematic.
Well, "modern" isn't necessarily the right term - this is hardly a new phenomenon.
That's just how business work if you let it. That's how the market regulates itself.
Refusing to kill people for profit (if there is no disincentive like actually suffering catastrophic consequences on both personal and corporate level) is just economically inefficient. And inefficient companies naturally lose market share to more efficient ones - not burdened by such reservations.
'Modern', he was quoted as saying that in the 1940s. This is just capitalism buddy. The profit motive at its apex.
Don't you just love capitalism?
@dog-ez2nu Generally the modern period is considered to be any time since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. But generally, most people would consider the 1940s to be part of the modern period regardless. It's recent enough that there's millions of people still alive who were alive at that point in time. I personally consider any time where people currently still alive were alive to be modern.
The US is full of companies like these.
My grandfather died from asbestosis, working at shipyards in the 50's to 70's. It took years for him to finally succumb, but i'll never forget his rattling breath during his final years, it sounded like he was a living mummy. I was around 10 when he died, but i'll never forget that sound, even 30 years later.
🙏🏻🖤
During 9/11 I emailed every news organization I could think of along with the federal government pointing out that anyone working ground zero needs to be wearing a respirator, not just a mask. They had the EPA test the air and said it didn’t contain asbestos. I emailed them back stating my concern was with the dust from everything not necessarily asbestos. Of course nothing became of it.
This kind of madness is why I'll never work in a shipyard or in Ohio. No thank you. I choose life.
@Notfiveo0This comment is the only proof I have that people had working brains during that time period
Sadly, This planet is doomed due to the greed of evil people over the last 100 years.
as an asbestos analyst myself, i have found asbestos in kinetic sand, brake pads, gaskets, other forms of toys. we regularly test crayon samples, makeup, plaster paint toys, and a bunch of other things. we find it in soil from demolition work, etc. I go everywhere and think of potential asbestos, and have even walked past sites i knew contained asbestos, but everyone walks past it not knowing. it is scary knowing how prominent it is, and how little so many people know about it
Ignorance is Bliss... but also a Danger to everyone...
Seeing the toy sand recall in Australia and now Dutch labs finding asbestos in seemingly half of the products they test, what is your opinion of it as a toy? Is it hysteria to ban it, since apparently it's abundant anyway, or would you advice it?
The bit that freaks me out is how much gets improperly disposed of. I know of one property owner who knew his old building contained asbestos. He bulldozed it, had the remains trucked to his county farm field, and had a huge bonfire. The smoke would have been heavily contaminated with asbestos, and then he buried the remains on farmland.
the question is how much do you find - it's always about the dosage.
There's almost anything in everything but the relative amounts are the key difference.
There's gold in seawater but it does not matter because the amounts are so small it makes no difference.
Ever heard of the brake products brand still operating in 2026 call Raybestos?
Correction for @veritasium: At 37:01 you refer to the air sampling used as Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM). That is incorrect, it was actually Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) used. The PLM method cannot be used for air samples.
Also, I thought a little more mention towards the alternative viewpoint could have been given regarding the Long vs Short fiber arguments. There is some medical evidence that long fibers (> 5 μm) are more likely to drive disease. Not to say that short fibers are safe necessarily, but there is evidence longer fibers show a stronger correlation with asbestos-related diseases. The theory is that macrophages actually have an easier time breaking down the short, tiny (< 5 μm) fibers.
But yeah, amazing video! Thank you for calling attention to this contaminant and the issues surrounding it!
Sent them an email?
I was more generally bother with them not considering any kind of safe limit of exposure, by form, type or concentration.
Why aren’t the guys who knowingly get thousands of people killed charged with murder?
the same reason Epstein friends aren't charged with anything.
Rich and white lol. Who owns these corporations? Sure ain't a foreign entity. Bet if we did a survey most are owned by wm. Have you seen the Epstein list? What does most of those men have in common?
$$$$
money
Same reason as the countless ones who get away with it today, money
When I was a kid in the 60s, I had a Gilbert minerology set. Among other things, like uranium, it had asbestos. I used to play with the asbestos, take it apart with tweezers, get it its fibers all over me and then go down to eat dinner.
Again, this was in the 1960s and the hazards of asbestos were known in the 1920s! so why was this allowed? It boggles the mind.
Are you all good now? Or?
@rg-shothe unfortunately died 20 years ago due to an unknown lung illness
Actually I think the hazards of asbestos were known much earlier than the 1920's
The Roman writer Pliny the Elder observed that enslaved people who worked with asbestos cloth developed lung sickness. This is one of the earliest recorded links between asbestos and disease.
@loek5886rip
Asbestos where suspected to be dangerous almost all the way back to its discovery. Untill ~1920:s there where no proofs asbestos where dangerous, only suspected to be. After ~1920:s medicinal technology began to improve and discoveries confirming asbestos is in fact dangerous began to come. Asbestoscompanies did everything to scilence science and play down the dangers of asbestos, only to protect the industry and keep selling asbestos.
Only as late as the 1990:s the different governments around the world banned asbestos. Still there are countries where asbestos is still used as much as before and are still compleetley leagal.
As a Sri lankan its so confusing that such a small country is in the top of importers list. We are literary drowning in asbestos😔
Same with India, they love it!
Wait till you learn how you deal with cleaning up asbestos..... fun fact "YOU DON'T" its literally unleashed a 10000 year minimum half life material that takes along time to break down and the more it breaks down the more dangerous the particles of it become...... there is no solution.
Explain that to your people and especially, your government.
Just don't inhale you'll be okay
@terdfergusonIII for a few minutes
En España lo conocemos como amianto y cada vez que aparece en alguna construcción hay que pagar a una empresa especializada para retirarlo, no te dejan retirarlo por cuenta propia ni deshacerte del producto.
POLAND introduced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, even way before joining the EU, under the Act of 19 June 1997 on the Prohibition of the Use of Asbestos-Containing Products. The law prohibits the production, marketing, distribution, and installation of products containing asbestos. It entered fully into force in 1998. It covers all types: Chrysotile, Crocidolite, Amosite, Tremolite, Actinolite and Anthophyllite. The ban also has zero-tolerance approach. A product containing asbestos, regardless of percentage content is subject to the ban. We also have a national program aiming to fully eliminate all already existing asbestos (for example, in roofing on very old houses) by 2032.
SWEDEN as well. Total ban of asbestos since 1982!
Britain 1985
@bowdown2me we're not trying to eliminate it though, the plan is just to leave it untouched.
@tomsixsix Not true.
Same in Belgium and Amfiboles were already banned in 1975
One of the little-known facts, there was a 4th little pig in the 3 pigs story. He built his home from asbestos. And the wolf came to his house and huffed and puffed and died from mesothelioma.
🐖☠️.... that little piglet also died from mesothelioma.
There is an entire ghost town in Australia that is blue. They used to mine the rock there. Kids used to play in the stuff everyday. Every resident was breathing in this lovely stuff 24/7
Yeh what's it's name then? Probs fake
Wittenoom, right?
@raymondqiu8202 someone already gave the answer. Wittenoom, It's a great place! You should visit!
@raymondqiu8202i live like 4 hours away from it.
But im pretty sure youre a fake bot account made to cause arguments lol
@RunningBearQQ I've seen a lot of suspicious comments jumping in to defend asbestos and gaslight or downplay everything it has led to. Often just "yeah right", "you guys have a large imagination, huh?" or similar short posts that don't even try to argue anything, just derail. I wonder what that kind of propaganda costs. A few dollars per hundreds of thousands of comments? Such a deal. Is asbestos really the only resource Russia has to offer? One wouldn't think so.
Watching this video makes me feel as though I can't breathe properly.
They used to show asbestos lawyer ads, around the clock in 90s and 2000s
Are you experiencing symptoms of mesothelioma?
You may be entitled to compensation.
@inviktus1983"They fought for me to get what I deserve"
I remember that. My grandparents got a payout because my grandfather working in a shipyard and my grandmother helped clean his clothes so they both got some.
Yoy still see mesothelioma ads, today.
One just ran on a local channel yesterday.
Another story of "Don't believe any research done by a company about their product safety"
But we’ll still use it
Or gov.
I named my dog Asbestos because he was kind of fluffy and a similar colour. You should have seen people's faces when I was in the middle of a field screaming asbestos at the top of my lungs.
could be worse, there's a town named asbestos in my province 😅
OMG you're so funny
This was like the 70th time someone said that "joke", but it just keeps getting funnier and funnier.
NOT
🤣🤣🤣
It's sick
@edgarfez4727 Having a bad day?
My family had a three generation owned insulation company. My great grandfather, great grandmother and grandfather all died from lung cancer. It was from prolonged exposure to asbestos.
Are we just gonna ignore this is the first Veritasium video *ever* without Derek?
He ain't coming near asbestos
I really like the Gregor-heavy episodes. He's doing a great job.
Missed him, but Gregor is fantastic. I understand if Derek wants to take a step back and respect that
52:38 the minimum Derek mandatory quota as flashback
He in the video if you look closely.
43:00 I see someone figured out how to write off dune buggies as a business expense :-)
Lmao
I also see how someone found a way to show that he has been working out 52:01
49:55 I think it's funny how this channel clearly showed political biased and didn't miss the opportunity to bash Trump and praise the left. Makes sense when you look up top Dono's for this channel and the NGO's.
Life's pretty good being high up in a corporate structure, am I right?
@TheTubejunky it’s kind of unavoidable when the right is so anti science, anti safety regulation and pro profits for their billionaire buddies. Trump literally just stripped power from the EPA. First find me a clip of Obama praising asbestos and Trump championing regulations for it and then we can talk about bias
every time I see a Claire's, I remember how desperate they were not to be called "asbestos jewelry"
imagine clicking on this after finding out the building you work in just has asbestos inside they can't or won't touch
Dear Veritasium team,
As a devoted Greek subscriber to your channel. allow me to add the fun fact about the confusion regarding the words Άσβεστος (which in Greek is pronounced asvestos) and Αμίαντος (the latter being the one to describe the mineral in Greek language).
The word amiantos comes from the Ancient Greek adjective ἀμίαντος (amiantos), which means "undefiled," "pure," or "unpolluted".
It is derived from the privative prefix a- (meaning "not") and the verb miaino (μιαίνω - to stain, defile, or pollute).
The mineral was given this name because it was believed to be "unstainable." In antiquity, people observed that if they threw a cloth made of asbestos into a fire, it would not burn; instead, it would emerge cleaner and whiter as the fire consumed any dirt or grime while leaving the mineral fibers intact.
In most foreign languages, the term asbestos is used, which also has Greek roots:
It comes from the word ἄσβεστος (asbestos/asvestos), formed by the privative a- and the verb sbennymi (σβέννυμι pronounced svennymi which means to quench or extinguish) and thus the word "asbestos" means "unquenchable" or "inextinguishable".
In Ancient Greek texts, the term asbestos referred to quicklime (Calcium Oxide - CaO). In fact this word remains the same (in the form of Ασβέστης - asvestis) in Modern Greek. The use of "asbestos" to describe the fibrous mineral became standard in the West largely due to Pliny the Elder, who likely misapplied the term.
While English uses "asbestos," the original Greek "amiantos" remains the basis for the word in many other languages, such as the French amiante, Italian amianto, and Spanish amianto.
Many thanks to the Veritasium team for the extra-ordinary content
Thank you, I love this kind of explanation ❤
Very interesting detail, thank you for that!
Yeah! That's right! In Spanish we use interchangeably "asbesto" or "amianto", though Amianto tends to sound very formal " high cultured", people would know more the word asbesto. But now I know the finer details. Thank you very much!
Ωραίος!
We call It amianto in Italy too.
0:17 breaking bad vibes
Plot twist: asbestos is the reason Breaking Bad had a story(Walter's lung cancer)
More like Breathing Bad 😅
i was gonna say
No way they weren’t going for this 😂
yeah of course they were looking for a spot to park the RV
My grandpa died in 2005 due to a mass growing in his esophagus (throat) that was attributed to asbestos. He went from nothing seemingly wrong to passing away within a week or two, it was that fast. As soon as the doctor mentioned asbestos, my grandpa said it was his time in the Navy in WWII that caused it.
lost my father in law in 2013 to meso. he went from normal to bed ridden to gone in 6 weeks
Naval station in Japan did renovations just last year 2025 and there were several dumpsters with hazard labels for asbestos. It's still everywhere and no one cares.
My Pop passed away like that as well but it took longer. He was an aircraft electrician in the Pacific Theatre WW2. He was such a nice man, Eric Robbins is his name. He used to kick my ass at ping pong at like 80 when I was around 12 lol
My grandfather died similarly in around 2020. Life-saving cancer treatment reacting with and causing movement of the asbestos ended up with him getting a very bad case of sepsis and passing away in the ICU. His asbestosis was attributed to his time as a railway plumber.
lost my mum a teacher due to it the classroom 2009, and my brother took his life a few years later ,my son was/is also deeply affected , devastating ,she was the matriarch
Don’t have to wait every thing in our food supply. The product SAVORY comes to mind, pushed by Bill Gates.
Crazy to see a veritasium video go to the town I grew up in and then prove there’s a bunch of asbestos there
Damn. Must be kinda scary?
we literaly have a city called asbestos in quebec canada
Get a comprehensive cancer screening immediately
@Guillaume_Proulx Had! It's been called Val-des-Sources for a couple years now.
@Guillaume_Proulx Had, they renamed it Val-des-Sources in 2020 because of the negative connotations of asbestos. The old name was deserved though: it used to be the world's largest source of the stuff!
To smoke through asbestos is such an overkill.
🚬😎
@C-U-Next-Toosday that sounds like something out of the Simpsons where Ralph would cry that the cotton candy was cutting his mouth.
Nice play on words...
@F0XD1E 22:60 talks about the asbestos Simpson.
@Dave5843-d9m "22:60" bro that's illegal
Most people assume asbestos was banned in the United States decades ago.
The EPA banned one type - chrysotile, the only type still being actively imported - in March 2024. The other five types of asbestos remain unregulated. Manufacturers still have up to 12 years to comply.
The companies knew it was deadly in 1935. That is 89 years between internal memos confirming the danger and the first federal ban. And the ban doesn't cover the asbestos already inside tens of millions of American buildings.
Same playbook as pfas smh
As an European, the way the US just blatantly doesn't care for its citizens well-being baffles me.
In the EU, both production and import of all six types of asbestos have been banned since 2005...
@cinnamonsplash the EU has it's own issues. Also, I hate to break this to you, but there are more than 6 asbestos types and the EU has only banned 6.
@thelastant8366Six is more than one, last I checked. I'm not European so no bias here but the US is objectively pretty bad with this sort of stuff.
I have to ask, do they mention asbestos at any point during this video? I'm already over 5 minutes in and I haven't heard it once...
I was in elementary school in the 1980s and thought *then* we’d already banned it and danger was limited to disturbing old construction. That we’re still talking about it 40 years later is now scaring me.
helped my parents put zonolite into their home sometime around 2012 😬 pretty sure companies were still just trying to get rid of the product following what happened in Libby because I don't think there was much more warning beyond "minimize your risk"
You think 40 years but as the one scientist was saying, still finding it in children's products in 2017!
We’re probably fucked.
Same!
@ChrisLuttrellthey just had to ban coloured play-sand made in China, from Australian schools late 2025 cause it had asbestos fibres in the sand. Full hazmat teams going through kindergartens.
51:20 We are already dealing with PM particles here and now I have to watch out for Asbestos, God just take us already ☠️
Nothing is done on aqi and these people are telling about asbestos 😢😢
In general air there's almost in no asbestos in india. It's less than 0.071 fcc. The only hazard is for construction workers.
It's almost like the tagline for this documentary should be "don't breathe".
In Canada (QC) we even had a town that was called asbestos. When they announced they would change the name of the town, people jokingly said that they should rename it to fentanyl
In Russia, they still have a town called Asbestos. It mainly produces Asbestos.
Please no. All the reporters and politicos will be calling it "Fentyn *a* l". Because they can't _stop._
@petersmythe6462asbest lol
Quebec!
Now that's funny rite there. One name is at the end of its cover-up, and one name is at the beginning of its cover-up. Why not just call the town Cover-up??? Def more mysterious...& fun.
Don't worry, potus drump will kill us all by starting wars with every country and elimating the epa or any regulating agency. Thanks. Oh yea, and it will effect the whole world too, not just the US so the majority of humans will have no control of their health and safety from now on.
Libby! My hometown! :)
Oh....My hometown :(
Grace Ad looks like Vault Tech 😅
I'm sorry,hopefully they get rid of it
RIP
I had the same feels when they mentioned they were testing in NC.
As a person from India,
I can confirm that there is a lot of Asbestos Sheet around us.
You can almost always find an Asbestos sheet around 100m-500m from the place you are standing.
These sheets are not covered by anything, they are directly exposed to the sun and air, and are likely to be damaged and go airborne.
The sad truth is most of them is not aware of Asbestos danger, they see it like a normal cement sheet and are careless with it.
_If you search Asbestos cutting in RUclips you'll find hundreds of Indians Cutting asbestos with No Mask_
These are very common is Rural areas.
And the government is not even warning or banning Asbestos Cement sheets.
And then there's sheet rock, or drywall, which isn't made from asbestiform minerals (at least not always) but it's gympsum, which is rock dust you still should not breathe in.
Same in Ukraine, if you look at footage of the front line there must be thousands of buildings with Asbestos roofs and almost every one has broken sheets. Often you see them getting blown up. The number of Ukraine veterans that will develop lung cancer will be quite large. Just one more tragedy of this war.
India? Contaminated?
No way!
@rupertrussell1 I grew up in Ukraine. These asbestos roof sheets (we call it shifer) were pretty much everywhere. Even outdoor terraces in my kindergarten were covered with it. As young boys we could easily find some of these sheets randomly on the street. We would break them with stones, or even with our heads for fun. The only thing we were told not to do is to put it in fire. Of course we did it: it would crack-explode after 20-30 seconds in bonfire.
@aGGeRReSThat is scary to read.
I don't remember properly but i might've (everyone in Indian rural area might've) just scratched/breaked some asbestos Sheet
It's just so common in our area.
My grandparents both died of lung disease. They were both ship builders in WW2.
Both of my great grandparents died from nuclear radiation..so.
Steve McQueen died of mesothelioma in 1980. He worked in shipyards as a young man.
My dad died of coal workers dieasez
Even RUclips didn't recommended me this video more than once. I came to this channel and played it.
IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH MESOTHELIOMA
I can hear those old ads when I read this lol
@3zsforinsomnia891 They still run them!
Came down here to comment the same
YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO FINANCIAL COMPENSATION
🤣 that commercial was playing in my head this whole video..
turns out the real poison were the corporations we made along the way
Edit 2: Please don't respond to this decade old comment, it's not even that good
Edit 3: It's sarcasm, even the video is not a decade old. I can't even smile here without people getting mad at me here. Chill guys wth
💀
True of every megacooperation
The people running those corporations. The same for people running EPA and other related government agencies. Same for lobbyists. Same for politicians receiving money from lobbyists.
It always is 😮💨
....are.....you mean 'are' the poisons we made along the way 👍
How in the world am i able to watch content of such production quality for free
because of ads and reach
You are da product
Ads.
ground news
There’s an academic article from the 70’s called “television delivers customers” the twist of irony is, by consuming this video, you are being sold as a viewer. Companies buy your attention seemingly free to you, and the cost is your (our) subconscious “marketing” decisions, how we spend money via ads.
Any similarity with mRNA vaccines is purely speculative and the evidence shows that they are safe and effective.
This absolutely pisses me off. As someone who was born in 2003, I thought asbestos was gone-gone, a before-my-time issue, only present in old buildings. To hear that it's still everywhere because money-hungry corporations and weak-minded or corrupt governments don't care about the lives of human beings is insane to me. I cannot fathom the cold-hearted psychopathy needed to lobby against or try and argue semantics regarding asbestos regulations and bans. The utter fury I feel regarding this is almost overwhelming.
Well said. We have freedom but it shouldn't be freedom to harm one another.
Never meet your heroes. They are just as flawed as we are. The idea that a corporate CEO is a better decision maker is a myth.
I'm also a child from 2003 and I agree with a lot of what you're saying. Great anger. Overwhelming fury. You put it into words better than I could. I feel this anger towards not only asbestos, but all kinds of plastic too. Plastic is a massive problem.
Your angst and depression is truly deserved. It's a gift from god😊
Its more accurate to say...
"It is everywhere... Because it IS EVERYWHERE"
I thought it was a man made thing that used to be in things, mostly insulation
I didn't know it was probably in my backyard, and the desert i dirtbike through
9:44 into a video without saying "asbestos" once is crazy
Ya I was thinking that.
What's crazier is that it says (currently) "show transcript", but finds no transcript. I've never seen that except where there has, in fact, no transcript been generated, and in those cases "show transcript" does not appear.
With Derek gone, I think the whole production values are collapsing altogether.
The lede hath been buried!
I stopped watching at 3 minutes. I used to love the videos on this channel, but I am not watching 50 minutes of them baiting us with names they won't drop
Literally about to comment, like wtf, made us wait 10 minutes to know what they’re talking about. I thought I missed it somewhere…
41:11 My professor of aeolian physical geography at the KU Leuven in Belgium worked on the Las Vegas case a long time. He studied the way the amphiboles from the rock formations surrounding Las Vegas could be loosened up by weather and human activity and so be blown into the city. Him and his team of local specialists were long forced to remain quiet, having their publications be delayed, blocked and edited countless times.
I mean yes nature can be harmful but on the other hand you will have people who oppose any major changes to the environment. The middle ground is that you can choose where to live but people lived for millenia in places which are dangerou, from naturally contaminated water to various disasters etc. The question is, how much we want to change the nature around to feel comfortable - people will polute their environment in other means anyway. I belive there are easily two extremes on this topic as them walking in full PPE is kinda over the top... I collected actinolite and we even mined it in limited way which creates way more dust than just walking around... I can guarantee I wont die due to exposure of such day at that site. Of course its another thing for people living there but I believe similar can be said about fine silica particles in arid areas.
I worked with Dirk on a couple of projects during his time in Las Vegas. Nice to see one of his students here! I learned a great deal from him about eolian processes over the years.
I have had him as my professor last semester and many students including me were inspired by his stories. It is a shame how much of human health has been, and still is being pushed aside in the name of money and politics
@Toemasje hahah damn how did the GMP exam go
@s.v.o.579Very well ;) 15/20 on the aeolean part, 16/20 in total! Got annoyed by the amount of practical essays though, for a 6spt subject in the busiest semester of the bachelor (for a geologist at least) it was too much work to write them, especially in combination with GIS...
wow what is going to happen when covd vax bio weapons where forced and water contamination comes to light
My granddad died of Asbestos based Mesothelioma and it was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to witness. It turn my 65 year old granddad, who ran his own farm, was a pillar of his small town, the man who still ran his own woodworking shop, into someone unrecognizable. It was less than two years after his diagnosis that he died, literally withered away. He went from the strongest man I’d ever known, the patriarch of our family, to a literal shell of himself, skin over bones who couldn’t even breathe on his own anymore. Asbestos isn’t inherently evil, but what we’ve done with it even with all this knowledge is.
Where did he get exposed to it?
Sorry to hear that. My Uncle was a farmer and he went the same way. Horribly. I was exposed to a big cloud of it one time doing HVAC work on an ancient furnace and having been lied too about it by my boss at the time. I still worry about it occasionally but I think long term exposure is far worse than a one time exposure. But who knows
My grandfather also died of mesothelioma linked to asbestos when I was 5. I never really got to know him because of it.
@Areebxrkwe don’t really know, he worked a lot of construction jobs and was a mechanic for a while too so there was a few exposure chances for him
@johnfyten3392my aunt and dad (his kids) get checked regularly still because we don’t know where he got exposed and loved to bring his kids to work with him. It’s really scary being in that situation.
Class struggle, class struggle everywhere
That’s the entire issue.
The EU has a total asbestos ban for all forms since 2005 with a work exposure limit of 0.002 fibers/cm³ just for reference
The UK fully banned its use in all forms 1999 (and blue & brown asbestos were banned way back in 1985), and there are tight regulations about its removal and disposal. Indeed, one of the biggest fears of anyone doing renovations to commercial premises here is not the cost of the renovations, but the cost of finding asbestos.
@real_electricmonk Been on multiple worksites where asbestos was found, and the work got delayed by months 😂
One recent project to demolish an old swimming pool building and replace it by a new larger one, the demolition crew knew in advance that there was asbestos in the Sauna rooms,
And there had been asbestos in the roof of the building but that had been removed when the roof was redone 20 years earlier.
Both of which was correct and no more asbestos was found in the building.
when the excavators came in and started digging they found the entire old roof under the flowerbeds though, old roof had just been thrown on the ground and covered by a thin layer of soil 🤣
@real_electricmonk My office in Central London is in a small building with asbestos in doors, sills, walls etc. It is all locked in under epoxy and paint, so safe. Everywhere that asbestos is known to be present is stickered to ensure no-one decided to get drill-happy. A few years back they had to strip out the small room containing the steam plant. This required hazmat suits a hazmat tent and continuous damping and irrigation for a fortnight. Sitting by my (sealed) asbestos windowsill, I know this building will be safe from developers for years, because the cost (to mitigate the danger) of pulling it down would far outweigh the cost of a replacement building.
A year or so ago I saw some corrugated asbestos roofing dumped in a ditch. Presumably because a dodgy builder didn't want to pay for its disposal. You don't often see formed asbestos these days.
Yup, that was our concern when we bought our first home (late 60's build in the UK), and one of the first things I did was pay for an asbestos check on the plaster. Thankfully it came back NADIS (No Asbestos Detected In Sample), but that doesn't mean it doesn't contain any, just that none was detected, but the relief of not having to deal with it was palpable to say the least.
The garage roof on the other hand? That almost certainly contains Asbestos and I'm not excited for when we decide to replace it.
Even if it did contain asbestos, I'd rather deal with that than rent a home ever again.
It doesn't matter, as long as someone is using it, global exposure is not zero.
Remember that asia produces a tonne of goods
the guys that were using this material before they knew the dangers were really doing asbestos they could
I never thought that WTC was mass asbestos death incident. Even though it makes sense
Jon Stewart testified before Congress to get them to provide healthcare to 9/11 first responders harmed by the dust.
It was financially impossible to clear out the WTC complex, monetarily unfeasible to demolish the buildings due to the asbestos... The solution?
Terrorism insurance that paid out in mere months after being taken out. Sus af.
Never forget tower 7 went down with its two big brothers on its own.
Absolutely vile behavior by those who have enough money to consider you and I less than rats.
@mattgies it didnt help that the fire suits were also made of asbestos
It wasn't. Powdered concrete and all the other chemicals were equally to blame
@mattgiesyeah "dust" not specifically asbestos
Frustrated phagocytosis is the funniest name for something so deadly. Like I’m just imagining the cell swearing like a sailor trying to break the asbestos 😂
It seems almost made-up, that all of this happened over and over. Lead in fuel, asbestos in everything and PFAS everywhere.
Companies denying evidence, people silenced, and nobody judged.
In the light of these crimes, no wonder nobody is getting arrested for Epstein files.
There is no real justice in US.
There is no justice on this earth
It's just us not justice. The people that are control of power dictate everything without consequences. such is the system that we've allowed to fester over time.
Thank Donald for cutting what EPA/FDA can do for you and for the world.
Its unbelievable how these mistakes are on a mass level involving loss of lives and no consequences for the culprits.
It has happened too many times.
its called capitalism
I can remember as a child we use to sit right against a asbestos heater during cold winters.
I don't know if it's in the video, but my favourite fact about Asbestos is that back in ABOUT the 13th -14th century, there is a known recording of an English King who would brag about his fireproof table cloths and face cloths. We now know they were made out of plant fibers and asbestos fibers, so when he would set them on fore, the main cloth would burn leaving an asbestos cloth behind.
Great party trick, probably responsible for the downfall of his entire lineage to a mysterious wasting disease.....
Interesting information
It wasn't an English king, it was Charlemagne king of the Frank's and first holy roman emperor. There also an older version from the han dynasty in China but it involves a jacket rather than a table cloth.
I‘m not claiming to know for sure but I am certified to work with it professionally and when we were studying it we were told that same story and that that maneuver was actually mostly safe and wouldn‘t release a significant amount of fibres. It’s extremely heat resistent.
In ancient Greece they made shiny white tablecloths out of asbestos. You could simply toss them dirty into a fire and they would come out of it shiny white again. The Greeks ALSO noted (based on their records that survived) that slaves who mined asbestos and wove asbestos died of lung diseases more often than slaves who did neither.
They also used lead plates and then believed tomatoes to be poisonous, but it was actually the lead and how the acids of tomatoes react with it.
Wow! As a long time viewer, this channel really went from (relatively) short scientific videos to full blown investigative journalism, while keeping its friendly scientific approach. You guys truly are the best!
The production quality is just off the charts. Could never imagine it 10 years in the past.
Yeah, well I guess some acquisitions can be good. I was scared they would go downhill after the sale of the channel but apparently it has (so far) just upped the ability to go deeper and longer. EUV video was out of this world
Really sold? Man I was thinking the opposite of you guys. I am not a fan of the change.
@colwemi mean if you didnt even notice…also i dont think its a clear cut 100% sale
@colwem he made an explanation video. He has kids and a family, and needed time off. The acquisition has been good so far; it's already been a couple of years. I'm glad he can spend more time with his family.
I was born and raised in Libby, MT. I've known many people who have died from asbestos related illnesses and have family members suffering from them. Thank you for sharing this story.
I used to live near Libby. Had no idea
This helped explain all my health issues fr thank you
Dear Veritasium, please keep uploading videos like this for people like me who don't understand much mathematics
Bro, thats not Asbestoes, thats called Algae.
Khan Academy. I promise, it’s worth taking some time to catch yourself up on K-12 math. It’ll make the science videos you watch more interesting and gratifying
@alexweschler9470veritasium regularly uses math well beyond a k-12 comprehension level but attempt to explain it in a simplified way. For some it just doesn’t click like that for them and this channel post videos that can be extraordinarily difficult to understand without learning math you’ve never seen before.Your condescension of someone asking for a different type of content that’s easier to comprehend shows your lack of intelligence. I understand your most likely a teen but someone needs to let you know that insulting someone’s intelligence is a trait most utilized by individuals who in fact lack intelligence in an attempt to deflect attention from themselves and sometimes just an attempt to assure one’s self they are above average . I hope you take this information and use it to learn and better yourself. Have a great day!
I agree! I love these videos, don’t get me wrong, the ones that are more technical are enjoyable to me but a lot of the time I don’t have the freedom to sit and be taught semi complex and complex math and physics just to enjoy a video. Videos like this one are much easier to digest and enjoy! Have a good day!
@alexweschler9470its not like i dont completely understand maths. I just don't find it relaxing enough to watch after a long day 😅
Irving Selikoff is one hell of man. Mad respect🙏
8:30 Gee whiz mr Veritasium, that sounds too good to be true, and this video has 45 minutes left I wonder where this is going...
Its not him, he has slavs now
Sounds like his wife's going to kill him for that clothes wringer
At similar point I was checking if the video is half an hour long and it's actually almost one full hour xd
I want to send some greetings for the amazing illustrators and animators working on this
i feel like these videos are slowly becoming longer and longer, turning into mini-docus...
and i'm all here for it!
RUclips algorithm rewards length, because they can put more ads in for subscribers without Premium. 🤷🏼
@susanne5803 me here use adblock 😂
the issue is, normal people don't watch long videos, they doom scroll, and normal people is what this video is supposed to target.
Nah. This video is for everyone.
People turning into doom scrolling zombies is a separate issue, and catering to them makes it worse.
@ghajik. How on earth are you supposed to represent all the facts in this video in that shitty TikTok format? There's just no way to do that
Oh, and you have to compete with brain-rotting "6 7 tung tung sahur" AI videos, obviously.
Las Vegas has annual winds in the spring and fall, and after 20 years living here i'm now finding out the dust it kicks up has asbestos in it cool.
Comforting, isn't it!?
To be fair, the winds are usually from the SouthWest (or North in the winter), not from the Boulder City area. I was born and raised here, lived my entire life here other than 8 years in the military. I'm not dead yet at 52. This video has made me rethink any offroad activities in that area for sure. Not that I'm into ATV's and the like, dust was never appealing to me, I prefer the comfort of my Tacoma thank you. It has made me consider using a mask when we have dust storms, but we don't have those often, and they often come from the North. Either way you cut it, that dust isn't healthy regardless.
Our buildings should be good. Back when I was in jr. high, we had to do double sessions to accommodate removing asbestos from our sister school. Although some older homes built in the 1940's and 50's might be problematic.
That's true for pretty much most of the dust that happens in the world, which is why you should be putting on a mask. Although I would say the bigger problem and bigger reason for the mask would be the fungus that if it infects your body will make you look like something out of a horror movie and it is not a fun way to go and the treatment is unbelievably brutal. Every now and then I see someone in Vegas with it. Valley fever is not cool.
Here's the good news though. Asbestos actually refers to multiple different minerals and the stuff that is in the natural dust is nowhere near as nasty as the stuff from freshly mined or damaged in human capacity stuff because of the weathering. But yeah it kind of freaked me out a bit too and I had to look into it.
That place is the pits literally heard a story how they fleace visitors. Mosses ran out of remove on his tablets but comming in at no.11 was thou shalt not gsmble ESPCIALLYl with peoples lives.
@JimmyMon777 Correct. The geology is such that the VALLEY is safe, and the wind blows just the rights ways to send it all down into Arizona - though I suspect Searchlight and the surrounding areas down towards Needles are not so lucky. Up higher in the hills (new construction?) and outside of it, less so. This is due also to the very high concentrations of radioactive and rare earths in the local mountains surrounding Nevada. So, as long as you don't go out in those areas and start poking around, you're fine.
Back in my hometown, there's a movie theater and it used to have a big curtain and across the bottom of it was printed in 2ft tall letters "ASBESTOS". And scratchy horse hair seats.
is it just me or is the audio a bit muffled/hard to hear in the sponsor segment of minute 32?
My grandad died from lung cancer due to exposure from working with asbestos and I was just a kid but I remember our family got a payout from the company and we went to Disneyland Paris shorty after it opened, I'd have preferred to keep my grandad though, but so this story hits me a little different, thank you for your reporting.
How old was he? Most people who 'die of asbestos' live well into their 70s and 80s.
Disneyland of all the places.. I would've come back to haunt you
@herrnase4340And Disney Paris to boot, even worse 😂. "Better than a sharp stick in your eye", nah I'll take the stick.
29:23 I had that EXACT make up cell phone growing up wtf
o7
o7
Rip
You might be cooked bro get urself checked out fr
Bro u ok?
The video may be an hour long but it’s definitely worth watching the whole thing.