Safe Brake Cleanup

[bill-der]

Hey Guys,

Not sure i would have even thought twice here usually, but I am having a kid (boy) in august, and it seems that I am really getting paranoid on safety these days, which i guess I should have a long time ago.

I just cleaned up and replaced some old drum brake shoes (have been sitting outside unused for years) by spraying with brake parts cleaner and scraping a whole bunch of old crud off the backing plates.

I am assuming that this stuff was old brake dust containing asbestos, mixed with dirt, fluid and other gunk that was mostly solid, not dusty and "airborne".

I am worried now that I might have tracked asbestos from this crud back into the house on my hands and shoes, into the carpet and other household items I came into contact with before I showered.


Should I be concerned that my wife does laundry in the garage, and how should I clean up? Is there a possibility there is airborne asbestos now in my house or am I just being crazy?

 

[Sam_Fear]

Crazy. It's a long term exposure thing. Like lead. Class action lawsuits and overly protective/paranoid mothers just hyped it up.

Don't get me wrong, you want to keep exposure to a minimum, like any chemical, but be sensible.

 

[Sam_Fear]

I don't know your age, I'm 42. My Dad farmed all his life and is nearly 81. Guaranteed he was exposed to all sorts of nasty stuff that today would have the Haz-Mat team in suits out to clean up. Ever hear old timers talk about rolling balls of Mercury around?

Just keep 'em outta the street and make sure they know the stove is HOT - that sorta stuff.

 

[bill-der]

I am 29, but this is my first kid so I am kind of all over the place at the moment trying to prepare for it without having to get rid of my projects.

My garage is a landmine for a kid with all the tools, rusty parts, gasoline and chemicals and it's attached to the house right across from the baby's room to be, but I guess they won't really be old enough to get in there for a few more years.



BTW, your story reminded me of a great country song:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/a-different-world-lyrics-bucky-covington.html

 

[dmw56]

I am an evironmental scientist and project site saftey officer. I have worked with hazardous material decontamination and disposal for 15+ years. I am a certified asbestos abatement supervisor along with other nasty hazardous, toxic, and radioactive materials.

Your concerns are warranted but exposure possibilities in this case sounds pretty low. Asbestos is most dangerous when it is in a friable state. Dry and fiberous. Sounds as if the brake pad material you were removing was a combination of dirt, grease, old brake fluid, and cleaner. The chances of the asbestos to become airborne sounds pretty low to me. Just vaccum up the house and garage and there should be no problems.

The problem with asbestos is when inhaled the symptoms of asbestosis or methothelioma don't show up for 30-40 years and usually in individuals who have a high sensitivity to it. You only have to be exposed to it once.

The chemicals in your garage should ideally be stored in a locked metal flammable storage cabinet. But any locked cabinet to keep to keep curious little hands from getting ahold of the stuff will work.

Yes, the old timers were exposed to all kinds of hazards and so were we. Ever wonder why a lot of them and us are dying of cancers?

 

[moronthethrottle]

Also, please invest in a carbon monoxide detector in your babies room. Walls are not as air-tight as one may think. Hence, any time a vehicle runs in your attached garage the carbon monoxide gets trapped in your walls and slowly finds its way into your house...right through your babies room first. Not good.

If the detector never goes off, you'll know your babies safe. If it does, you'll be glad you had it to warn you of a problem.

 

[bill-der]

Yeah, I never run anything or paint in the garage for that reason... I always roll the boat or car out and usually close the external garage door

We already have 2 carbon monoxide detectors as well, one near the kitchen and one in our room but one in the babies room will definitely happen once he arrives.


Thanks for the tips guys, I will quit freaking out about this one but definitely work smarter and safer in the future, but at least I know now the my new brakes are 100% asbestos free, so now to worry about lead based paint...

 

[Sam_Fear]

Yep, no more skipping the safety steps for you - you'll want to be in one piece to teach the boy all the man things!

 

[cantwell.colton]

congrats -- lol i have 2 kids one boy (about to be 3) and one girl (just turned 5 : / )-- and if ive found out anything -- its that you cant protect them all of the time --- just do what ya can when you can -- the paranoia will go away --- but its good youre thinking of the little things --- just the other day a girl i work with was telling me her sister in law bought those glade plug-ins and her little boy (whos almost 1) got ahold of one and drank it... while we re busy trying to keep hammers and screwdrivers tucked away safe from the kids - theyre in the other room chugging airfresheners cant win. lol
father hood is a wonderful gift and im truly happy for you.

 

[29desoto]

Kids!

God's greatest gift and man's biggest challenge. Don't know about yours, but mine did not come with an instruction manual. Do what seems right.

And it sounds like you are doing the right thing in being concerned. When I had an attached garage years ago, all things like brakes got hosed off out in the yard, starting with a spray/mist, then working up to a good blast. Sure, I got a little surface rust on brake drums and such, but it works off.

My little guy (now 35) used to watch me work on my old choppers out in the driveway. One day my wife told me to look out the front door. The kid had his big wheel and plastic tools. He would wrench on it a while. Then throw the tool and turn the air blue with his shipyard language.

No idea where he learned that![ddd

 

[Shea Laking]

God's greatest gift and man's biggest challenge. Don't know about yours, but mine did not come with an instruction manual. Do what seems right.

And it sounds like you are doing the right thing in being concerned. When I had an attached garage years ago, all things like brakes got hosed off out in the yard, starting with a spray/mist, then working up to a good blast. Sure, I got a little surface rust on brake drums and such, but it works off.

My little guy (now 35) used to watch me work on my old choppers out in the driveway. One day my wife told me to look out the front door. The kid had his big wheel and plastic tools. He would wrench on it a while. Then throw the tool and turn the air blue with his shipyard language.

No idea where he learned that![ddd

Congrats![cl

Kids are awesome, but as said above, also quite a challenge.

My daughters are now five and I'm hoping this summer to actually be able to get some garage time in (FINALLY) on my S-10-I've only had it since they were one! With a wife who's gone playing baseball or video games all the time (she thinks SHE'S the husband, 'til something needs to be fixed) I've spent most of my spare time watching mine for the last five years. Parenthood is God's best example of "on the job training" and most anybody with a little common sense and alot of patience can get-er-done.

Don't scrub those 40 Ford backing plates and Buick finned aluminum drums in the little kiddie bath tub and you'll be okay. The paranoia eventually mellows down to a normal level of cautious behaviour. Enjoy your little one once the happy day comes.

Regards,
Shea

 

[Reign]

you need to have a lot more than a one time exposure to get any really bad symptoms. you arent being "crazy" per se since you are looking after your kid, but if you are looking at cleaning your clothes that you used; make sure you clean them with nothing else and you can go and run the washer with nothing in it to clean it before washing any other clothes in it.