this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2024
709 points (99.7% liked)

Science Memes

10759 readers
2716 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.


Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 201 points 1 week ago (16 children)

It is a fantastically useful material, except for all the mesothelioma.

[–] SzethFriendOfNimi@lemmy.world 96 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Seriously, except for the horrific issues with the stuff, it would be an essential material for various applications.

Its resistance to fire, heat transfer, etc would do wonders for insulation and construction.

[–] degen@midwest.social 36 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Makes me wonder if it could be treated in some way to make it not-so-inhalable. Though maybe we have better synthetic alternatives by now.

[–] GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml 53 points 1 week ago (5 children)

As I've understood it, the problem is primarily for the people having to manufacture products using it, and at rest it's supposed to be inert.

[–] witty_username@feddit.nl 53 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Except that people don't always recognize it and end up drilling holes in it or sawing through it

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 36 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Don't forget about when it's time to un-make it.

Tearing down old building or tiles containing asbestos is also a huge issue.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

So many people were exposed to asbestos dust in New York when the world trade centre towers were destroyed by terrorists

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SzethFriendOfNimi@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It’s supposed to be it tends to get brittle and fracture creating airborne shards that you can breath in but your body can’t break down and that continuously damages the cells leading to cancer.

https://youtu.be/9ZIxGVJadyk?t=143

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 46 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Doesn't burn, really hard to wear out, you can just dig it out of the ground, easy to shape and repair.

Except it kills people, and it hurts the whole time they're dying.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Hazmatastic@lemm.ee 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

"If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation..."

[–] psud@aussie.zone 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

We are in Australia. The company that mined the stuff was found negligent as they kept selling it for decades after they knew it was deadly dangerous

I also hear that so many times thanks to one of the Brain Blaze (on YouTube) editors

[–] DJDarren@thelemmy.club 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The company that founded Wittenoom?

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 5 days ago

CSR, if I recall correctly

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (13 replies)
[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 120 points 1 week ago (7 children)

I had to reinsulate my attic a few years ago and I found about five different types of insulation up there (I have an old house) ... I had to do a bunch of research on this stuff and figure out what I had ... thankfully I was ok but I found this in my search online

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago

Oh my god. Blue asbestos is the worst kind, or best if mesothelioma is your thing. Every single one of the people in that picture died from pulmonary issues.

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

My grandparents old farm had an asbestos carpet under their current carpet. I'm very very happy I was around to spot that, and for having audited a lot of abatement companies.

It also had asbestos roofing, but at least we weren't about to rip that up by hand

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (5 replies)
[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 82 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Treat your taste kindly with KENT, the cigarette with the NEW Micronite filter!

^^Micronite ^^is ^^asbestos.

[–] zyratoxx@lemm.ee 57 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

Oh oh, I've got one too. It's not containing Asbestos but Thorium (or Radium respectively) tho.

"Doramad radioactive toothpaste"

"Creates natural freshness in the mouth!"

"Special biological healing effects by radium rays. A thousand times medically prescribed and recommended."

"What does Doramad do? Through its radioactivity, it increases the defenses of teeth and gums. The cells are charged with a new vigorous life energy, which inhibits bacteria in their destructive ability. Hence the exquisite prevention and healing effect on gum diseases. Polishes enamel to the softest shiny white. Prevents tartar approach. Good foam, new taste, pleasant, mild and refreshing. Use extensively."

Quick disclaimer: The last two quotes can be found on Wikipedia but they are not backed up with sources.

[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago (2 children)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Classy@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And I thought Alex Jones' colloidal silver was insane

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[–] Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world 80 points 1 week ago (8 children)
load more comments (8 replies)
[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 60 points 1 week ago (7 children)

They're going to say the same about plastic

[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Just waiting for 3D printing fumes and SLA resin to be under the radar.

[–] affiliate@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (5 replies)
[–] Wanderer@lemm.ee 53 points 1 week ago (1 children)

God: "I'll make a wonder material. Fire proof. Strong. Insulating. Just dig it up from the ground. Common a fuck. Waterproof."

"Then they can all get cancer the cunts"

"Okay I'm done shit posting for now. Where's that big tittie blonde gone"

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world 51 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My dad was a contractor and he had a big sheet of it in the garage that was leftover from some job. It looked kind of like a sheet of drywall, but was grey and rougher. I used to take it into the back yard with a little blow torch and and lay on it while I melted metal things. I was probably ten to twelve at the time.

It was a different time.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 50 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I'm pretty sure we could go back to using it, with more precautions in place, better binders, etc. Hell, it's still used in many parts of the world, and it occurs naturally all over the fucking place. But, alas, lawyers would have to stop salivating at every mention of the word.

In geoscience, we started using the word asbestoform to describe minerals with fibrous habits so we don't get lawyers showing up to destroy all of our rock samples and turn every geoscience facility into a superfund site.

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 week ago (7 children)

I'm pretty sure we could go back to using it, with more precautions in place, better binders, etc. Hell, it's still used in many parts

Is there a way to keep it inert when the next homeowner starts tearing down drywall and drilling holes in stuff?

load more comments (7 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] NakariLexfortaine@lemm.ee 49 points 1 week ago

"Asbestos was first synthesized by the master magi Mesothelioma. He was looking for a way to slowly poison the local villages without easy detection, and ended up creating one of the most common robe linings found today.

Mesothelioma is remembered long after his passing, though not fondly. If you, or a loved one, has been harmed by the creations of Dark Lord Mesothelioma, Sending us today..."

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 32 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Stupid people used asbestos. We made ourselves part plastic!

[–] refalo@programming.dev 1 points 5 days ago

Except there were scientific studies done at the time that "proved" it was safe, even as a cigarette filter. Can't really blame people for trusting that IMO.

Now I wonder what was actually so flawed about those studies.

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (12 children)

Asbestos generation laughing at the Romans and their use of lead

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Here goes the microplastic generation

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (11 replies)
load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›