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Asbestos Cigarette Filters (2018)
- vandahm 4y agoHey, it was the 1950s -- why not double down on cancer?
- BoxOfRain 4y agoThere's a certain irony in the fact a feature supposed to improve safety actually made an already dangerous thing massively more dangerous. That's got to be the most cancerous product ever brought to market that didn't outright irradiate its user.
- mrguyorama 4y agoWell I don't think filtered cigarettes are actually a safety improvement in general. They were only ever a marketing gimmick
- beenBoutIT 4y agoNo, filters really were the biggest step towards a "safer cigarette", despite the official stance that no such thing can ever exist. Non-filter cigarette smokers are 40% more likely to develop lung cancer and almost twice as likey to die from cancer than filtered cigarette smokers. *https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/5789/presentation/23033 https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/5789/presentation/230...
- jimmaswell 4y agoI wonder if we're going to start seeing effects of a lot of people increasingly smoking weed habitually, especially joints with no filtering. Certainly not as bad as cigarettes but it still can't be good for you to inhale hot smoke.
- abakker 4y agoMaybe this is just my filter bubble (pun intended?) but since legalization, all of the people I knew who smoked weed but not cigarettes just switched to gummies. I wonder how many people want THC but never wanted to smoke in the first place?
- galangalalgol 4y agoThere is some evidence that both thc and especially cbd are antiinflammatory, which might make it a little less bad, but yeah, all those odd and highly reactive hydrocarbons can't be good. Breathing anything other than clean air on purpose seems like generally a bad idea.
- rtev 4y agoFunny you mention this, because we’re already seeing it. In fact, I recall reading that unfiltered marijuana smoke is slightly more harmful to the lungs than unfiltered cigarette smoke.
- dsfyu404ed 4y agoNot if but when. Inhaling that amount of burnt stuff regardless of source is just not good for you.
- gsk22 4y agoThe byproducts of cannabis combustion are certainly not healthy, but the saving grace is that even the heaviest weed smokers inhale far less smoke than cigarette smokers. And unlike tobacco, safer alternatives exist -- vaping doesn't require combustion, and edibles obviously carry no risk from inhalation.
- SoftTalker 4y agoNot sure why anyone thinks weed is safer. Tobacco is dried, shredded plant leaves. Weed is ... oh wait.
- klipt 4y ago> outright irradiate its user E.g. Radithor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radithor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radithor
- Trouble_007 4y ago>"The Radium Water Worked Fine Until His Jaw Came Off"
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y agoBefore seeing this, if someone told me "Radithor" was a superhero created in the 90s and described as "rad" in marketing, I would have no reason not to believe them.
- hedora 4y agoModern flame retardants are similarly bad. At one point, consumer groups, Ikea, and fire fighters were all lobbying California to get rid of them. They partially succeeded. If you have a couch / pillow / etc with a California label saying it contains flame retardants, immmediately wrap it in a plastic bag and send it to the dump. California required more flame retardants than anywhere else on earth. Cats in California started developing previously unseen forms of cancer as a direct result.
- nonrandomstring 4y agoThere's a subject area dedicated entirely to the study of things that are supposed to make things better, but make them worse. It is "Iatrogenics". It includes a surprising number of medicines, surgical procedures and interventions once thought to be "health-giving".
- mtmail 4y agomore detail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iatrogenesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iatrogenesis
- coinbasetwwa 4y ago[dead]
- car 4y agoLobotomy. Edit: iatros is doctor in Greek. Injury caused by a doctor.
- smn1234 4y agonever heard that such has a category. Thank You!
- yummypaint 4y agoYou might also be interested in "revenge effects" like how making football helmets more protective increased head injuries.
- GuB-42 4y agoAs a football player told me, the helmet is not protection, it is a weapon.
- ashton314 4y agoSheesh. Be sure to keep your cigarettes safe in a case made of U-235—conveniently designed to fit right in your shirt pocket. Also be sure to try our cocaine-laced wine[^1] aged in fine lead bottles! [^1]: A real thing once, if I'm not mistaken.
- askvictor 4y agoIndeed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_wine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_wine This is the drink that inspired Coca Cola when the prohibition meant wine was off the table (but cocaine was fine)
- quickthrower2 4y agoOne could argue cocaine is less dangerous than alcohol.
- beenBoutIT 4y agoIRL cocaine is about as safe as caffeine and can be consumed in beverages (tea, Coca-cola, etc.) by healthy people without any real negative issues. Right now in 2023 we as adults should have two options for beverage stimulants, caffeine and cocaine. Basically the beverage market has been artificially cut in half for no good reason. https://www.tni.org/en/primer/coca-leaf-myths-and-reality https://www.tni.org/en/primer/coca-leaf-myths-and-reality
- hammock 4y agoOutside the US it is possible to get coca leaf for use in tea. It is an interesting different type of morning boost. Certainly not something to make a big deal of
- galangalalgol 4y agoYeah, if you powdered pure caffeine and did a line you'd be in a bad way too I'd guess? The ld50 for caffeine is only roughly double that of cocaine. Pure nicotine has half the ld50 of cocaine. It just no one boils down tobacco juice into oil and drips it into their eyes for a bigger hit. At least not more than once. Essentially all plant based recreational substances found in their dilute natural forms absent any breeding programs to concentrate intoxicants, are probably relatively safe. It is the processing that is an issue. The alcohol buzz from eating overripe fruit is probably even innocuous. Edit: there had to be exceptions, and I think jimsonweed is probably one now that I go looking. The recreational dose even in raw form is way too close to the lethal one.
- jimnotgym 4y ago> only one of these products was designed to be placed in a person’s mouth while they inhaled Similar though were the WW2 gas masks that contained asbestos!
- phkahler 4y ago
- danielodievich 4y agoThis sounds really bad. I recently read the famous The Travels of Marco Polo by Rustichello da Pisa and remember calling this chapter out for my wife in delight of recognizing asbestos: Everybody must be aware that it can be no animal's nature to live in fire, seeing that every animal is composed of all the four elements. Now I, Marco Polo, had a Turkish acquaintance of the name of Zurficar, and he was a very clever fellow. And this Turk related to Messer Marco Polo how he had lived three years in that region on behalf of the Great Kaan, in order to procure those Salamanders for him. He said that the way they got them was by digging in that mountain till they found a certain vein. The substance of this vein was then taken and crushed, and when so treated it divides as it were into fibres of wool, which they set forth to dry. When dry, these fibres were pounded in a great copper mortar, and then washed, so as to remove all the earth and to leave only the fibres like fibres of wool. These were then spun, and made into napkins. When first made these napkins are not very white, but by putting them into the fire for a while they come out as white as snow. And so again whenever they become dirty they are bleached by being put in the fire. Now this, and nought else, is the truth about the Salamander, and the people of the country all say the same. Any other account of the matter is fabulous nonsense. And I may add that they have at Rome a napkin of this stuff, which the Grand Kaan sent to the Pope to make a wrapper for the Holy Sudarium of Jesus Christ. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo/Book_1/Chapter_42 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo/Boo... You probably wouldn't want to handle Holy Sudarium of Jesus Christ either.
- hattmall 4y agoI wonder if this was actually even problematic for them. My understanding is that asbestos is no worse than other rocks and silica formations when aerosolized it's just that asbestos was so useful it was much more heavily industrialized in a manner that was injurious to the lungs.
- _3u10 4y agoNah, the Germans employed forced labor at asbestos mines during WW2. It’s so bad that they gave them respirators. Imagine something being so toxic that you give the people you’re trying to kill respirators so they don’t die so quickly.
- DFHippie 4y agoThey should have put radium paint in the filter as well. "Have trouble finding your butts when you drop them on a dark night? With Kent Microlite cigarettes with radium this is a problem no more! Four out of five surviving doctors who smoke cigarettes recommend Kent Microlite cigarettes, now with radium!" "Kent Microlite cigarettes x-ray your lungs for you! With radium!" There's a lot of great copy in there.
- kleer001 4y agoThat seems like somewhere betwee P. K. Dick and H. P. Lovecraft.
- ilvez 4y agoI know they used asbestos to filter beer in 20th century. Was considered safe, since it didn't get in contact with air. Obviously abandoned practice nowerdays.
- schappim 4y ago"Asbestos Cigarettes’ Related Diseases... Crocidolite asbestos in Kent Micronite cigarettes is known to cause the following diseases: Lung cancer, Mesothelioma, Laryngeal cancer, Ovarian cancer, Asbestosis." Recent studies have linked asbestos exposure to an increased risk of ovarian cancer, particularly among people who used asbestos-contaminated talcum powder. However, if you're getting ovarian cancer from these cigarettes, chances are you're smoking them wrong.
- quickthrower2 4y agoMaybe the dangerous bit is when you stub them out. Turning bonded into fibrous airborne asbestos
- gerdesj 4y agoObviously the wondrous collection of vapours as you smoke them is not implicated. You grab a fag and stuff it in your gob. Fire it up. Two inches or so soon disappears. The last inch lingers a bit until you get that slightly rubbery taste that indicates its over. You might continue anyway for a while - suck/savour (hot n nasty)/blow. Been there. For 30 years. Five years ex-smoker but some damage done and not too sure how much. Worrying about the effect of stubbing out on your own health is nonsense and ridiculous - who cares whether asbestos fibres are whole or dust after stuffing the bloody things in your gob? At that point you are endangering everyone in breathing range. Anyone who finds breathing normally a bit of a challenge sometimes or always will soon disabuse you of one or two ideas.
- Zancarius 4y agoThis is ultimately what killed my father: 45 years of smoking until one day in 2017 when he quit cold turkey and never picked up another cigarette. By that time the damage had been done. He had severe COPD. He was well passed the point of being a viable lung transplant candidate. He wouldn't survive the surgery. Besides, he already battled a litany of health issues stemming directly from smoking. Fast forward to last year. His ability to breath normally was already a distant memory, and his ability to breath in any capacity without a struggle had become the new normal. After an evening in the hospital, I picked him and Mum up before a quick detour to the medical supplier in town to pick up... oxygen cylinders and a concentrator. About four months later his condition had deteriorated enough that his GP suggested hospice. A year after this initial but rapid decline and he was gone. COPD is irreversible. It can be slowed, maybe even halted for a time, but it is impossible to reverse. I'm glad you quit. You may have quit early enough to maintain a normal life. Regardless, I'm proud of you for taking that important first step. For anyone else reading this who may be a smoker: Please, I implore you, consider quitting today. I know how the story ends. I've seen it first hand.
- cwmoore 4y agoData structure and algorithm for inter-generational pattern recognition.
- stephc_int13 4y agoWhen I read about the toxic products and practices of the past, I can't help but wonder what the yet undetected ones are?
- woeirua 4y agoPFAS and PFOA are going to be huge in the next few decades. Additionally, lots of pharmaceutical compounds are going to end up highly regulated in waste effluent.
- sideshowb 4y agoOur local river now harbours antibiotic resistant bacteria thanks to all the meds used by chicken factories upstream
- hedora 4y agoBig farms feed (fed?) chickens arsenic, so heads up.
- leonidasv 4y agoI've recently discovered that my computer mouse is coated in PTFE. Those sealing tapes that goes into pipe threads are pure made of it too. Microwave popcorn contains it. Dental floss. I've been trying to track sources of PFAS in my home and always end up discovering something unexpected that contains it. Those compounds are literally everywhere nowadays, this is scary.
- jollyllama 4y agoCell phones. Not necessarily radiation, but information access/social media.
- bee_rider 4y agoThis is totally unwarranted, completely unfounded speculation not at all based in any science whatsoever: I dunno sunscreen just seems a little too good to be true IMO.
- pluc 4y agoTwo - make a +, everyone knows
- subpixel 4y agoOddly, I used to work with someone whose previous role was with the lawyer-led company that bought and runs asbestos.com You know the article "I sell onions on the internet?". Well, you make a lot more money - and I do mean a lot more - selling leads to class action lawyers the way asbestos.com does.
- car 4y agoLead generation under the guise of helping cancer patients, disgusting.
- somedude895 4y agoWhen I saw the domain my mind first jumped to this list of highest search engine ad cost per clicks: https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/advertising-media/the-most-expensive-keywords-on-google https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/advertising-media/the-mos...
- pugworthy 4y agoOur 1948 house has asbestos cement shingle siding, which I imagine was the vinyl siding of its day back when. We just leave it the hell alone and don't touch it unless we absolutely have to, and are happy with having a "mint green" house for now until eternity. Admittedly it's done a good job of protecting the underlying wood siding, which would become its own expensive, ongoing, and laborious maintenance task.
- andix 4y agoI don’t really know it, but I think most asbestos applications in buildings are not very dangerous as long as you don’t to construction work.
- bityard 4y agoHandyman here. You're largely correct. The siding is absolutely no big deal because it doesn't release fibers unless it breaks. Because it's solid and brittle, when it _does_ break, hardly any goes into the air. Plus you'd be outside, likely protected by at least a gentle breeze. Asbestos was used in floor tiles (generally on top of concrete), these are perfectly safe if kept waxed or with a clearcoat applied on top. But you'd want to wear a respirator if removing them. There was asbestos insulation in attics and often between walls, or wrapped around pipes. That's the worst stuff and you should use a respirator just being around it. (I'd wear a respirator in any attic, to be honest.)
- actionfromafar 4y agoHaha, it was actually sold under the trade name "Eternit". Pretty apt.
- zip1234 4y agoMy understanding is this is one of the least problematic forms of asbestos. Seems like you are doing the right thing with it although I think it is paintable. If you have asbestos pipe insulation though--that stuff is really bad.
- myshpa 4y agoWhile talking about asbestos ... not enough people know they are are consuming food everyday that's classified by WHO as class 1 carcinogen (in the same group as asbestos and smoking), causing not only cancers of the stomach, bowels and prostate, but also contributing to other chronic illnesses like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, copd ... It's processed meat (bacon, ham, sausages, salami, corned beef, jerky, hot dogs, lunch meat, canned meat, chicken nuggets, and meat-based sauces) and (in the 2a category) red meat (beef, horse meat, mutton, venison, boar, hare, game). https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/can... https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-processed-meat-is-bad https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-processed-meat-is-b... https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/1197F/production/_86336027_cancerous_meat_624.png https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/1197F/production...
- jalk 4y agoBut please remeber that (from your first link): Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans(Group 1). Tobacco smoking and asbestos are also both classified as carcinogenic to humans(Group 1). Does it mean that consumption of processed meat is as carcinogenic as tobacco smoking and asbestos? No, processed meat has been classified in the same category as causes of cancer such as tobacco smoking and asbestos (IARC Group 1, carcinogenic to humans), but this does NOT mean that they are all equally dangerous. The IARC classifications describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer, rather than assessing the level of risk.
- thayne 4y agoFrom your first link: > processed meat has been classified in the same category as causes of cancer such as tobacco smoking and asbestos (IARC Group 1, carcinogenic to humans), but this does NOT mean that they are all equally dangerous. The IARC classifications describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer, rather than assessing the level of risk.
- antiterra 4y agoThe first link you provided makes it clear that the ‘class’ is about evidence and not severity, so “in the same group” doesn’t really communicate anything meaningful. Second, sneaking in class 2a into the list you describe as class 1 is misleading, though possibly unintentionally so. Further, pretty much anything cooked, such as bread, has a class 2a probable carcinogen called acrylimide. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/116/4/846/6687739 https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/116/4/846/6687739 There may be great arguments for avoiding red meat in its entirety, but your framing doesn’t provide them.
- noduerme 4y ago"Fire Safe Cigarettes" - now required by law in the US - are the modern way to kill smokers faster than tobacco otherwise would. I'm convinced that they were pushed through by the anti-smoking groups as a purely homicidal, punitive measure. The toxicity tests were fudged (by including cigarettes which turned out not to be fire safe)[1]. 1. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fire-safe-cigarette-laws_b_519867 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fire-safe-cigarette-laws_b_51...
- Lucent 4y agoDoes no one recognize a made-for-AdSense content farm targeting the top pay-per-click keyword, mesothelioma?
- car 4y agoApparently this is run by a lawyer directly, but yeah.
- billfor 4y agoGreat jingle though:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQsRx1lz0o8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQsRx1lz0o8