On Thu, 28 Jan 2021, corey cohen via cctalk wrote: I'm sure that they have already filmed TV commercials, "If you or a loved one was vaccinated for Covid-19 and have . . . "

Do me a favor: Mail it to me. This vaccine FUD is crap, is not based in science or reality, and has to stop. Sorry to post this on a classic forum, but this bullshit needs to end now. Bill, I sent out the box of 8 inch floppies yesterday. CZ

On 1/28/21 9:19 AM, corey cohen via cctalk wrote: Ah yes, radium. You'll get my original R-390/URR meters when you pry them from my cold, dead, glowing hands. bill

On 01/28/2021 02:29 AM, Curious Marc via cctalk wrote: Wow! I doubt there is an asbestos in the actual computer parts, but quite possible asbestos-containing floor tiles and pipe insulation WAS used in the factory buildings, or computer rooms where they were used. Suing the manufacturers for something that was general practice 60 years ago seems a far stretch. And, other than IBM, all the other computer makers are long gone. Some may have been absorbed into other corporations, of course. Getting legal, what would be his standing for such a suit? If he wants a class action, he has to find somebody that was harmed, and then track down others and/or heirs. Well, some people just need to find real work, like digging ditches or driving trucks. Jon

Most of these actions aren't lawsuits per se, but rather claims made on trust funds set up by asbestos manufacturers as part of Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings. So the money's already there and if one has been afflicted by mesothelioma and can claim *any* exposure to asbestos in the past, the fund usually pays out a million or two to the claimant and his lawyer. Not quite ambulance-chasing, but close. Late night TV is full of ads for this sort of thing. A similar thing is going on for Roundup herbicide and non-Hodgkins lymphoma from a fund set up by Montsanto, whose patent on glyphosate herbicide has long since run out. Glyphosate is still widely used in agriculture. --Chuck

On 1/28/21 10:52 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote: Sorry, those tasks take way more intelligence than you are likely to find in a lawyer. bill

On 1/29/21 8:30 AM, Pete Turnbull via cctalk wrote: I suspect that any danger from asbestos-reinforced Bakelite in computers is very minimal, as the stuff usually isn't machined to any extent and isn't used as a friction surface. I doubt that a Bakelite lamp socket, switch body or terminal strip, for example sheds much of the fiber during its normal operating life. Unlike, for example, automotive brake linings. --Chuck

I wonder whether it was the word "insulation" that triggered this ridiculous inquiry. To many people, "insulation" means the stuff that is blown into cavities in walls for thermal insulation. Asbestos used to be preferred, because it would also make the structure less flammable. (or is that "inflammable"?) It has/had a tendency to get airborne, and to contain asbestos. Breathing THAT can be a serious worry. The bakelite "insulation" is hard chunks of [usually] black plastic. It was one of, if not THE, first commercially available plastics. It has a very high electrical resistance, so is a good "insulator". Used to be used a lot for switch bodies, etc. To the best of my very limited knowledge, it is not powders, etc. blown into spaces. It is never airborne, unless you throw it at somebody. NOBODY gets it in their lungs from their computer; NOBODY gets lung cancer (not counting workers in factories where they MANUFACTURED it) Cancer from asbestos is in the lungs. Asbestos, if NOT entered into the lungs, is harmless, and was quite common in old plumbing. Nobody gets cancer from drinking it. (cf. scare tactic used to close down Reserve Mining) -- Grumpy Ol' Fred