Question about abestos on brakes?

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This is my third post in this part I think. :slight_smile:

Anyways, I have auto tech class my last period, and it is a real slack class, teacher and students. The teacher knows his stuff, but its just slack on grades (good) and sometimes safety (bad).

Anyways, an administrator came in to observe the class, so we were doing something today :slight_smile: , working on brakes. He showed us some stuff, and we did a test on this stuff earlier on the computer.

Anyways, we had an older car in there, and older brakes have asbestos on them. I didn’t go near that car, but I saw them over there taking the brake off (teacher), and talking about dusk might fly :eek:.

I later talked to someone in the class, talking about how did he like working on the cancer car, jokingly, and he didn’t even get it, and thought there wasn’t a problem with it. I then said there was asbestos and cancer is linked to it, and he looked at me and said this seriously: So what, its not like your going to get cancer right away. :eek: :eek: The sad part he was being serious. Only 5 more months of high school, thank God.

Anyways, does anyone know about asbestos on older car brakes, and how safe it is not wearing a mask around them? I’m not going near them, even trying to stay away from the people who come near them and work on them.

Is it safe to work with them with no mask, I think not? If its not safe, what can I do to stay safe from the stuff, besides not go near the brakes and people who screw with them?

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asbestos is serious stuff only if broken as the dust is the killer.especially on old buildings it must be replaced and the osbestos must be handled by the pros to dispose of the stuff properly

i never heard of osbestos brakes!!!

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Asbestos are NOT put into brakes no matter how old the car…

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Agreed. Abestos is primarily used as an insulator and it has poor mechanical properties. With brakes you want to heat to go somewhere else not overheat your brakes!

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Actually, answered my own question. But, to state something, yes, abstestos was made in brakes before. It was because it could handle heat well. They stopped a while ago though.

The answer to my own question was, that the cars that may used to have had them most likely dont have them because they have been replaced. Still, not going to take any chances, but it is something to think about.

I did, however read a box to one of the brakes that were being replaced. It said it didn’t have asbestos in it. It did, however said it had some mineral (quartz, something, not sure), that said it was cancer causing or link to cancer. Its not as dangerous as asbestos definetly, but am going to be careful around the brakes.

(Cigarette smoke is cancer causing, so any brakes made now aren’t even as dangerous as that)