Originally posted by: miri
Originally posted by: Insane3D
Does anyone read anymore? Asbestos is NOT the best material for brake pads anymore...it USED TO BE.
:roll:
Today, however, asbestos has been eliminated in new vehicles, because it can't meet higher performance standards
Its funny how I show you official governemt websites that prove asbestos is still used and you still dont believe it. But you believe one website that isnt even government affliated. LOL.
DETROIT -- Nearly 30 years after federal safety officials first warned that vehicle brakes containing asbestos posed a potential health danger to auto mechanics, the cancer-causing fiber can be found in the brake linings of millions of cars and trucks.
Even so, many mechanics do not take basic precautions against possible exposure because they assume brake pads and shoes and other automotive products no longer contain asbestos.
Of 30 brake mechanics and brake shop owners in Metro Detroit contacted by The Detroit News, 25 said they believed the fire and heat resistant natural fiber has not been used in brakes for years. The others were only vaguely aware asbestos brake linings are still sold in the United States.
Despite the confusion, efforts by federal safety officials in recent years to educate mechanics on the potential hazards of working with asbestos brakes have been spotty.
"I call it the great asbestos cover-up," said Sean Ochester, an environmental specialist for the Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair, a nonprofit organization that advises auto repair shops on handling hazardous materials. "Asbestos brakes are still out there."
Asbestos brakes return
The confusion stems largely from a failed effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1991 to ban asbestos products. The prohibition lasted 28 months before being overturned by a federal appeals court.
After the ban was lifted, asbestos brakes returned.
Most of the original brakes on new cars and trucks these days are made with synthetic materials or nonasbestos materials. One notable exception: General Motors Corp. uses asbestos brakes supplied by Delphi Corp. on the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire small cars. GM is in the process of phasing the asbestos brakes out.
Brakes on many older cars and trucks, however, still contain asbestos. And replacement brake pads and shoes manufactured with asbestos are commonly available in auto parts stores.
"They are dumped in from Mexico, from the Far East, because they are cheap," said Jim Zamoyski, senior vice-president of Federal-Mogul Corp., a supplier of nonasbestos brakes. "A lot of the old-timers prefer them because they stop better."
At Murray's auto parts store on Woodward in Detroit, for example, asbestos-laden brake pads are distinguished by their yellow boxes and a warning that reads: "DANGER: May contain asbestos fibers/Avoid creating dust/Cancer and lung disease hazard."
Arne Anderson, a former Ford Motor Co. research engineer and brake expert, estimates that one third of drum brakes on cars and trucks on the road today contain asbestos. Less than 5 percent of pads on disc brakes are made with asbestos, he estimates.
Asbestos has long been used in brake shoes and pads. When brakes are applied, the shoe presses against the drum to slow the rotation of the tire. As the brake wears, the drums fill with brake dust.
"On the rear drums you have to beat the drums with a hammer sometimes to clean them out," said Bill Compton, who works at Muffler Man in Troy. "There is a ton of dust inside the drums. I cough up black dust all the time."
http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2002/asbestos/a13-453346.htm
What does the government using it have to do with anything. Why would the government need higher performance brake pads than passenger cars? Do you think humvees need high performance brakes? If the government still uses them, it's probably for no other reason than they are the cheapest and they buy them in such large amounts.
It's funny how you ignore a site like Consumer Reports that clearly states that asbestos WAS the fricition material of choice, but in todays newer vehicles, it is no longer DESIRABLE for MANY reasons. These would include health risks, lack of performance compared to newer friction materials, etc.
Just in case you are still having trouble...
Military vehicle standards != modern passenger car standards.
I don't know how else to drill that into your head. Feel feel to keep your ignorance...
Your own link proves my point genius...
Most of the original brakes on new cars and trucks these days are made with synthetic materials or nonasbestos materials. One notable exception: General Motors Corp. uses asbestos brakes supplied by Delphi Corp. on the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire small cars. GM is in the process of phasing the asbestos brakes out.
Hmmm...phasing them out eh?
Brakes on many older cars and trucks, however, still contain asbestos. And replacement brake pads and shoes manufactured with asbestos are commonly available in auto parts stores. "They are dumped in from Mexico, from the Far East, because they are cheap," said Jim Zamoyski, senior vice-president of Federal-Mogul Corp., a supplier of nonasbestos brakes. "A lot of the old-timers prefer them because they stop better."
EXACTLY what I said above. Oh, and just because "old-timers" *think* they "stop better" doesn't mean they do. You think race and high performance street cars use asbestos? If they stopped better, and they apparently were allowed to use them, don't you think they would? You think those older cars you speak of still have their original brakes? How many cars do you see with drum brakes nowadays?
At Murray's auto parts store on Woodward in Detroit, for example, asbestos-laden brake pads are distinguished by their yellow boxes and a warning that reads: "DANGER: May contain asbestos fibers/Avoid creating dust/Cancer and lung disease hazard."
Like I said...the cheap ones may still have it. Let me ask you something since you seem to know so much. If you had a choice of brake pads at the auto parts store, would you choose the ones that had a big warning about having asbestos in them when others were readily available? If you ran said auto parts stores, would you even carry them if there were so many other better performing, not CHEAP pads available WITHOUT warnings on them?
Arne Anderson, a former Ford Motor Co. research engineer and brake expert, estimates that one third of drum brakes on cars and trucks on the road today contain asbestos. Less than 5 percent of pads on disc brakes are made with asbestos, he estimates.
OMFG...can you believe it?!? That's pretty much exactly what I said above! Let me repeat for you..
Generally no. Are there some 3rd world brake pads out there not used in the USA...sure. Will you get them at your local auto parts store...no.
Regardless, even if you did, it would be almost impossible to do any harm to yourself from them.
My very first post... :roll:
Finally...
Asbestos has long been used in brake shoes and pads. When brakes are applied, the shoe presses against the drum to slow the rotation of the tire. As the brake wears, the drums fill with brake dust.
"On the rear drums you have to beat the drums with a hammer sometimes to clean them out," said Bill Compton, who works at Muffler Man in Troy. "There is a ton of dust inside the drums. I cough up black dust all the time."
I'm supposed to listen to anything some joe mechanic from "Muffler Man" has to say when he doesn't even know how to properly service brakes...you know...USING FVCKING BRAKECLEAN TO AVOID DUST like ever other freakin garage in the USA??
I'm done here. I've already shown ample proof that asbestos pads are GENERALLY a thing of the past. I even used your own links to prove what I said in my VERY FIRST FREAKIN POST.
*sigh*