Is it safe ?

[Nuke]

I used to wonder about what looks like asbestos surrounding the coil wire in some field coil speakers. Wouldn't the speaker vibration loosen microscopic particles into the air? I think the bakelite Admiral TVs have speakers like that. Then again, before 1985, asbestos was put in alot of things including hair dryers. Maybe if the owners of sets like these wound up in nursing homes at 95 years of age - you'd be OK. If you are worried about such things, an easy solution is a PM speaker and a power resister setup. Just don't dig into the field coil.

[NoPegs]

Originally Posted by Eric H

Unless you're going around licking the tubes or using them for Wine Decanters then they are safe.

There's an untapped market here I think... Obviously the only "sane" way to do this is to use a pre-war pyrex tube, but people still drink from "lead crystal" vessels so I'd venture that after cleaning out the phosphors and getter etc with some stiff acid any standard CRT envelope would be reasonably safe. Could possibly require annealing but since we're not trying to do it while pulling a vacuum on it I think that's a trivial task...


To make some sort of worthwhile contribution to this thread.

Remember that "Asbestos" is a label applied to a whole lot of compounds. It's like saying "oil." Not every type of asbestos is the highly frangible type that makes all the nasty particles that set up shop in your lungs. Some of it is as safe as fibreglass in terms of exposure hazard. Also remember that the majority of people who have developed health issues from asbestos exposure worked with it on a daily basis with minimal PPE in place. Unless you play scratch-n-sniff with it every day or put it in a blender and snort it, you're probably more likely to win the powerball jackpot than you are to get asbestosis from the rockwool pad above your chassis.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by NoPegs

There's an untapped market here I think... Obviously the only "sane" way to do this is to use a pre-war pyrex tube, but people still drink from "lead crystal" vessels so I'd venture that after cleaning out the phosphors and getter etc with some stiff acid any standard CRT envelope would be reasonably safe. Could possibly require annealing but since we're not trying to do it while pulling a vacuum on it I think that's a trivial task...

Imagine if CRTs had been annealed to begin with, they would be impossible to air out without an implosion. Of course those granular chunks of glass are far less likely to cause injury than shards. The pane of tinted glass that mounted in front of the screen on the 1986 Hitachi console I had briefly had been toughened; I was surprised when I threw it into the dumpster on top of the giant trash bag that contained the aired-out CRT and the pane didn't break. Throwing a brick in on top of it solved the mystery as to why.

[Jeffhs]

In some Zenith table radios of the '50s-'60s, there was a small block of asbestos mounted to the inside top of the cabinet (my C845, and probably my K731 as well, each have such a block mounted somewhere above the chassis). I don't remember why this asbestos block was in the cabinet in the first place, but I do remember seeing warnings here on VK against handling it due to the dust hazard. (Asbestos was also used as insulating material in devices such as roasters that operated at high temperatures.) Breathing asbestos dust is very harmful (as has been noted here by others), as the stuff can and will get into your lungs, possibly causing cancer. This is probably, even likely, why asbestos is rarely (if ever) used in appliances today.

[toxcrusadr]

I'll talk about lead first because that's what the thread was about.

Glass is a very stable substance and lead will certainly not come out of it to any appreciable extent while just sitting there. As mentioned above, lead crystal is still used for glassware.

The TCLP test is valid only with respect to putting the material in question into a landfill. The leachate the sample is soaked in is sort of a synthetic landfill leachate, with an acid pH. The result of the test tells little to nothing in terms of toxic risk from having the material in your house.

I don't know where mercury would show up in a CRT TV, certainly not in the glass, it's far too volatile unless salts were added to the glass...but why? I just don't know of any mercury in CRT TVs.

As for cloth wire insulation, much of it was cotton, but if you're concerned, I think you can seal it with something. I'm thinking a silicone based waterproofer like Thompson's Water Seal. I think I read that somewhere on a radio forum back in the day. But I haven't messed with any of mine, I just leave them alone. Unless you're breathing large amounts all day long, the risk is small. A radio, I wouldn't worry about.

Jeff, I've seen the 'block' of asbestos I think you're referring to, it's usually a sheet on the inside of the cabinet wherever heat given off by the tubes may damage the finish or overheat the cabinet. Such as over the power tubes. I've seen a foil/asbestos sandwich too. It could be replaced with something else, but I usually just leave it.