Comments for ADAO - Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org ADAO - Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:28:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Comment on Message from TC McNamara in Support of SB 624 by Garry Hayes http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/archives/2642#comment-281 Garry Hayes Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:28:06 +0000 http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/?p=2642#comment-281 I want to convey my condolences on the loss of your husband, and to note that I can only understand your loss to the extent that a husband is different from a grandfather. My grandfather died an ugly and painful death from lung cancer, and although he smoked, I strongly suspect asbestos could have had a role in his death, as he was a shipworker in WWI, and he worked in a tile factory for much of his later life. I also want to say that I agree with the aims of your organization: any company that knew of the dangers of asbestos and failed to protect their employees should be made to pay, and pay dearly. I could never support or condone their actions. I deeply hope you understand me, then, when I ask you to reconsider this issue of SB 624. I teach geology at a community college in California, and I feel a need to point out some problems with this effort to remove serpentine as the state rock of California. I say this because having serpentine as a state rock could and should be one of the most useful educational tools you could have about asbestos and mesothelioma. I have two points I want to try and convey, and I thank you for reading this far! #1: This effort to remove the designation of serpentine as the state rock will garner attention this one time, and this time only. People will see an article in some corner of the paper, and never again will they hear about mesothelioma and asbestos. But as the state rock, many thousands of school students for decades to come will do reports about the state symbols, and no doubt every one of them will come across the fact that serpentine sometimes contains one of the forms of asbestos, and that asbestos is implicated in diseases. Think of the value of this fact alone in educating the public. Even if the original reason for the designation for the state rock was to promote mining, then think of the irony of using their own PR against them. #2, and to me the most important reason to reconsider your position: Serpentine is one of the most revealing and fascinating minerals (and rock) that that we can teach about in California. Serpentine is a unique mineral that sometimes has an asbestiform crystal habit, but most often has a beautiful jade-like appearance. The importance of the rock lies in its history: The fact that the source of the rock is deep in the earth's mantle, beneath the 15-25 mile thick crust, is a revelation and acknowledgement of the incredible forces that have shaped the state. Imagine what it takes to bring masses of rock from such great depths! California has the incredible scenery that it does because of forces of movements along plate boundaries, whether the lateral movements along the San Andreas fault, or the vertical churning that occurs along convergent boundaries, where ocean crust is driven underneath the edge of the continent. Serpentine is found along these boundaries, and it is exposed here better than anywhere else in the United States. Economically, serpentine is the source for a number of rare minerals: chromite, magnesium, nickel, and mercury. All were mined during the world wars to make armor, flares and triggers, and no doubt helped in the war effort. All of these minerals, especially mercury, can be deadly in their own way, but it is our use and abuse that leads to disease, not their existence in a particular rock. I was shocked to learn of this effort to remove what I feel is an appropriate symbol of our state, because it should be a tool in your arsenal to educate people about the dangers of asbestos. You should be using this symbol as a cudgel against the companies that abused their workers. I know this effort is too far gone to be changing or reconsidering your position, but I hope you could understand the position of literally every earth science teacher who has contacted me about this issue (I was the president of the Far Western Section of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers). You are taking away a valuable teaching tool, one that your organization should be using, not throwing away. In any case, thank you for your time and attention. We are in agreement about what should be done about asbestos, and the companies that abused our trust. But I could not more strongly disagree with your effort in regards to serpentine and the state of California. Garry Hayes Modesto Junior College I want to convey my condolences on the loss of your husband, and to note that I can only understand your loss to the extent that a husband is different from a grandfather. My grandfather died an ugly and painful death from lung cancer, and although he smoked, I strongly suspect asbestos could have had a role in his death, as he was a shipworker in WWI, and he worked in a tile factory for much of his later life.

I also want to say that I agree with the aims of your organization: any company that knew of the dangers of asbestos and failed to protect their employees should be made to pay, and pay dearly. I could never support or condone their actions.

I deeply hope you understand me, then, when I ask you to reconsider this issue of SB 624. I teach geology at a community college in California, and I feel a need to point out some problems with this effort to remove serpentine as the state rock of California. I say this because having serpentine as a state rock could and should be one of the most useful educational tools you could have about asbestos and mesothelioma. I have two points I want to try and convey, and I thank you for reading this far!

#1: This effort to remove the designation of serpentine as the state rock will garner attention this one time, and this time only. People will see an article in some corner of the paper, and never again will they hear about mesothelioma and asbestos. But as the state rock, many thousands of school students for decades to come will do reports about the state symbols, and no doubt every one of them will come across the fact that serpentine sometimes contains one of the forms of asbestos, and that asbestos is implicated in diseases. Think of the value of this fact alone in educating the public. Even if the original reason for the designation for the state rock was to promote mining, then think of the irony of using their own PR against them.

#2, and to me the most important reason to reconsider your position: Serpentine is one of the most revealing and fascinating minerals (and rock) that that we can teach about in California. Serpentine is a unique mineral that sometimes has an asbestiform crystal habit, but most often has a beautiful jade-like appearance. The importance of the rock lies in its history: The fact that the source of the rock is deep in the earth’s mantle, beneath the 15-25 mile thick crust, is a revelation and acknowledgement of the incredible forces that have shaped the state. Imagine what it takes to bring masses of rock from such great depths! California has the incredible scenery that it does because of forces of movements along plate boundaries, whether the lateral movements along the San Andreas fault, or the vertical churning that occurs along convergent boundaries, where ocean crust is driven underneath the edge of the continent. Serpentine is found along these boundaries, and it is exposed here better than anywhere else in the United States.

Economically, serpentine is the source for a number of rare minerals: chromite, magnesium, nickel, and mercury. All were mined during the world wars to make armor, flares and triggers, and no doubt helped in the war effort. All of these minerals, especially mercury, can be deadly in their own way, but it is our use and abuse that leads to disease, not their existence in a particular rock.

I was shocked to learn of this effort to remove what I feel is an appropriate symbol of our state, because it should be a tool in your arsenal to educate people about the dangers of asbestos. You should be using this symbol as a cudgel against the companies that abused their workers.

I know this effort is too far gone to be changing or reconsidering your position, but I hope you could understand the position of literally every earth science teacher who has contacted me about this issue (I was the president of the Far Western Section of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers). You are taking away a valuable teaching tool, one that your organization should be using, not throwing away.

In any case, thank you for your time and attention. We are in agreement about what should be done about asbestos, and the companies that abused our trust. But I could not more strongly disagree with your effort in regards to serpentine and the state of California.

Garry Hayes
Modesto Junior College

]]> Comment on Merlin Olsen 1940-2010 by John Hoover http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/archives/1749#comment-256 John Hoover Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:57:18 +0000 http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/?p=1749#comment-256 I'am saddened by his passing as I lost a brother a few months back by the same cancer, I will remember him in my prayers always as I do my brother Ray. I’am saddened by his passing as I lost a brother a few months back by the same cancer, I will remember him in my prayers always as I do my brother Ray.

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