This 1986 videotape from the US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution, Prevention, and Toxics and the Maryland Lung Association is still relevant today, since asbestos brakes are not yet banned in the US. The video the covers potential health hazards from exposure to asbestos in brake dust as well as stepbystep methods and the equipment to be used to control brake dust effectively. Mechanics and anyone else in a garage where brake and clutch work are done may be exposed to asbestos dust. Some brake dust can be seen when a brake drum removed from a car, truck, or other equipment. But there are also many very small dust particles that can't be seen with the naked eye. These invisible particles may be asbestos or other brake lining materials. Breathing these particulates can damage your health. Many years after breathing them, they may cause shortness of breath, lung disease, or cancer. Asbestos is only one of many materials used in brake linings today. The only sure way to know what is in the dust from a particular brake is to test it in a laboratory. Since some newer brake lining materials are still being tested, caution is necessary. For current information, go to the EPA brochure Current Best Practices for Preventing Asbestos Exposure Among Brake and Clutch Repair Workers at http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/brak... . To learn about the politics of this document and issue, go to the 2007 paper HOW LITIGATION SHAPES THE
SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE: ASBESTOS AND DISEASE AMONG AUTOMOBILE MECHANICS by David Michaels, Ph.D., M.P.H. & Celeste Monforton, M.P.H. at http://www.defendingscience.org/newsr... , For current information on asbestos, the hazards of exposure and to learn how you can help prevent asbestosrelated disease, link to and join the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an independent organization founded in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. ADAO is the largest victims' organization dedicated to preventing asbestosrelated diseases through education and legislation. ADAO's mission includes supporting global advocacy and advancing asbestos awareness, prevention, early detection, treatment, and resources for asbestosrelated disease. For more information visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.