Asbestos in gaskets? 1994 FZJ80. (1 Viewer)

[petegangies]

Hi all..do the metal ring gaskets in pre 95 cruisers have asbestos in them? If so, I copped direct exposure. Went to change the downpipe today on my fzj80 and the old gasket was basically fused to the exhaust manifold. Had to dig it out with a screwdriver..being under the vehicle and laying on the ground..this meant that fragments fell onto my face (and dust). Within 15mins, I thought to myself.. hmm.. I wonder if these contain asbestos? Couldn't find anything definitive on google but seems like there's a high probability of vehicles pre 1995. I bought a p2 (n95 mask), gloves and overalls as I needed to use a wire bush on a drill to get it out. Moral of the story.. be careful working on your old exhausts. Wear PPE, mask/respirator, gloves and disposable overalls if youre going to be grinding or chiselling them out. Lesson learned.

 

[CharlieS]

Just don't breathe it in. You'll be fine.

 

[NeverFinis]

From what I have read, it is a concern with continued exposure, like in a work environment where you can be exposed to it on a daily basis over years.

 

[petegangies]

Just don't breathe it in. You'll be fine.

Definitely would have breathed some in unfortunately.

 

[bj70bc]

one time exposure isnt that concerning, your body will expel it over time. dont do it again

 

[joseywales]

From what I have read, it is a concern with continued exposure, like in a work environment where you can be exposed to it on a daily basis over years.

Exactly. There is a lot of paranoia about asbestos. Yes, it’s best not to inhale it, but the same can be said for about 98% of things in the world.

I worked as a builder/general contractor for decades in a city where a lot of renovations were done on houses from the 1890s to 1980s. We dealt with asbestos abatement regularly. I will always remember the manger of one of the most respected abatement companies telling me in these exact words “asbestos abatement is a racket”. He deals with it daily, so of course they follow the health and safety protocols, but he said you can take a jar, open the lid, spin 360* and put the lid back on and the air will test positive for asbestos. It is a natural fibre and is in the air we breathe daily.

Unless you worked in a shipyard in the 1940s or are on an abatement crew, it’s no big deal. I’m sure I disturbed plenty of it in my years as a contractor pre-paranoia, but I’m closing in on 60 with no I’ll effects some 40 years into it.

This thread is a good reminder to wear a dust mask while grinding etc, but OP, you won’t die from your minimal exposure.

 

[Marvelicious]

Hi all..do the metal ring gaskets in pre 95 cruisers have asbestos in them? If so, I copped direct exposure. Went to change the downpipe today on my fzj80 and the old gasket was basically fused to the exhaust manifold. Had to dig it out with a screwdriver..being under the vehicle and laying on the ground..this meant that fragments fell onto my face (and dust). Within 15mins, I thought to myself.. hmm.. I wonder if these contain asbestos? Couldn't find anything definitive on google but seems like there's a high probability of vehicles pre 1995. I bought a p2 (n95 mask), gloves and overalls as I needed to use a wire bush on a drill to get it out. Moral of the story.. be careful working on your old exhausts. Wear PPE, mask/respirator, gloves and disposable overalls if youre going to be grinding or chiselling them out. Lesson learned.

Honestly, if what you're doing is making dust, it's probably worth wearing a mask. How serious a threat it is to your health has a lot to do with many other factors: how often you're exposed of course, but also genetics and other compounding factors like smoking. In short, it sounds like you did the reasonable thing and don't have anything to worry about.

 

[bj70bc]

i tend to think grinder disks are just as bad if not worse

 

[joseywales]

i tend to think grinder disks are just as bad if not worse

Awe shootz. I thought they were chock full of vitamins!

 

[mudgudgeon]

Exactly. There is a lot of paranoia about asbestos. Yes, it’s best not to inhale it, but the same can be said for about 98% of things in the world.

I worked as a builder/general contractor for decades in a city where a lot of renovations were done on houses from the 1890s to 1980s. We dealt with asbestos abatement regularly. I will always remember the manger of one of the most respected abatement companies telling me in these exact words “asbestos abatement is a racket”. He deals with it daily, so of course they follow the health and safety protocols, but he said you can take a jar, open the lid, spin 360* and put the lid back on and the air will test positive for asbestos. It is a natural fibre and is in the air we breathe daily.

Unless you worked in a shipyard in the 1940s or are on an abatement crew, it’s no big deal. I’m sure I disturbed plenty of it in my years as a contractor pre-paranoia, but I’m closing in on 60 with no I’ll effects some 40 years into it.

This thread is a good reminder to wear a dust mask while grinding etc, but OP, you won’t die from your minimal exposure.

There's no rhyme or reason as to who will be affected by exposure.
There's people who worked in manufacturing it, ship yards etc and were exposed to high levels of it daily and lived a long healthy life.

There's cases where one known exposure has lead to mesothelioma.

I'd take comments by an abatement guy with a bit of a grain of salt . . .


except the racket part


Asbestos used in construction, was mostly bonded ( but certainly not all), and when it's bonded in boards or pipes, it is comparatively safe. Until someone smashes it to bid, or cuts it with a grinder. I did plenty of both before asbestos was a four letter word

 

[mudgudgeon]

Awe shootz. I thought they were chock full of vitamins!

Vitamin F mostly!

 

[smritte]

try wearing a mask when you weld. One of my buddies got me into doing that....OMG what I was breathing.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

I treat any gasket off a vehicle of this vintage or earlier as likely having asbestos in it.

As others have said, no you don't want to breathe it in but there's plenty of other things that you don't want to breathe in either that are generated when playing with an old truck.

 

[petegangies]

FYI, I have written to Toyota Australia, for confirmation that the gaskets contain asbestos for 1FZ-FE models between the years of 1992-1995. I suspect I already know the answer, but it will be good to have it confirmed in writing. I do believe it's important to make owners aware of this, even though many are likely not on this forum, for those that are, they may come across this thread, and it could prevent others from incidental exposure.

 

[CharlieS]

Seriously? Old s*** has asbestos. MInimize exposure. Take responsibility for the exposure you've taken. Get over it. Move on.

 

[petegangies]

Seriously? Old s*** has asbestos. MInimize exposure. Take responsibility for the exposure you've taken. Get over it. Move on.

I took responsibility, and followed the guidelines for asbestos exposure midway through the job when I realised it could contain it.

I'd like clarification from the manufacturer, so I know for certain.... and that really is my health and my perogative.. you don't have to agree with it, but I respect your view none the less.

This post was to raise awareness for others. I realise some people aren't particularly phased by it, but others could be.. and since it isn't really discussed, and there aren't any warning stickers on the vehicle, there's only really limited ways that people are going to be aware of it... either through prior knowledge/experience, or by reading about it.