[marktwain]

Hope this isn’t true....

Why?

The asbestos scare has been completely overhyped.

[suthener]

After my 20 year career in the Navy I have spent 20 more years working in a shipyard. I have never even heard of anyone with mesothelioma. I also believe the hazards are overblown.

[rfp1234]

Many of the mesothelioma studies were done on South African miners, who were definitely exposed to the "nasty" brown and blue types of asbestos (amosite and crocidolite).

Chrysotile (white asbestos), was far more common in North American buildings, with huge mines in Quebec producing it in the past.

Most asbestos regulations don't distinguish between asbestos types. All types are considered to be equally deadly. Lawyers love that.

Interestingly, many San Francisco residents (as if needles and feces in the streets weren't enough) live near naturally occurring outcrops of chrysotile asbestos. The soil is full of the stuff. Background levels of asbestos are unavoidable there.