Rank: Super forum user 
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Did any of you watch episode 1 of the new TV quiz show "Insert Name Here" shown on BBC2 recently? I saw part of it and learnt from it that chrysotile, alias white asbestos, was used in the past by film makers (possibly just in America) to simulate snow. After a clip of the "Poppy Field" scene from the 1939 film "Wizard of Oz" was introduced as "Lethal Movie Fun", one of the contestants explained that the 'snow' falling on the characters Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion consisted of asbestos fibres being sprayed over the film set. Though I reckoned to be reasonably well-informed about the wide variety of former uses of asbestos, I didn't know about film makers using it for snow scenes and therefore felt grateful to the BBC for enlightening me in this respect. However, the programme ended with the losing team being sprinkled with artificial snow which presenter Sue Perkins jokingly introduced as "a mere shower of carcinogenic snow from the 'Wizard of Oz' " before saying "don't inhale" at them several times. I fully appreciate that the programme was intended as light-hearted entertainment but felt uncomfortable at seeing how significant asbestos exposure, albeit historical, was used as the basis for humour at the end of the programme. Does anyone else also think the 'humour' was inappropriate? Graham B p.s. The relevant parts of the programme can be seen at 7:33 minutes and 28:16 minutes on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ipl...sert-name-here-episode-1 until the end of January.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Graham,
There's an equal school of thought to suggest this "asbestos snow" is nothing more than urban myth.
A pinch of salt required when taking information from light-hearted quiz shows. QI being a case in point. Many of the "facts" purported are nothing of the sort.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rank: Super forum user
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I have an illustration in a book from the 80's - "Hollywood, the Pioneers" Kevin Brownlow. The picture is an unnamed western from the silent days with a cowboy in snow blizzard. The snow is mentioned as being asbestos.
However, may well be myth repeated.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Not denying that chrysotile was marketed as artificial snow for the home consumer, just suggesting that widespread use in movie sets may be subject of urban myth.
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Rank: Super forum user
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As an aside.
There are a number of accounts from the older local residents in Hebden Bridge in relation to the old Acre Mill Asbestos factory. They remembered, as children, making "snowballs" out of the fibres that used to collect in the gutter in the streets outside the factory.
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Rank: Super forum user
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And....asbestos (blue/white) was used in WWII gas masks......
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Rank: Super forum user
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I believe asbestos snow was also used a lot in films including when Bing Crosby & co were singing White Christmas dressed as Santa in the film. It was also used in the Witch's broomstick in Wizard of Oz. I am not surprised and do not think it is an urban myth
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Rank: Super forum user 
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When I was in Liverpool Fire Brigade 1966 onwards our protection against exploding acetylene cylinders, aircraft fires and hot metals were Asbestos hoods, suits and gloves.
Regular training consisted of us wearing the "PPE" in drills and exercises.
The material really was asbestos.
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Rank: Super forum user
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The series “back in time for Christmas” shown recently on the BBC mentioned that asbestos snow was sold during the 1940’s as a festive decoration. The packaging boasted on it fire proof qualities!
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Rank: Super forum user
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Talcum Powder once contained crushed asbestos too.
This was also used as one of the products for making crayons in China.
No urban myth there. ;-)
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Rank: Forum user
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Short article following the programme indicating that it was used in the film industry. Quite believe it as was heralded as being "wonder stuff" and used extensively (as any asbestos removal company will happily tell you...including stories of hotels literally made out of the stuff!). Even now there are likely bags of Artex sitting in domestic garages that contain Asbestos..all ready to be slapped onto the ceiling when swirly patterns from the 70's come into Vogue again when doing up the front living room. http://www.birchallblack...k/asbestos-snow-warning/
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Steve McQueen had mesothelioma - partially if not fully attributed to the flame retardant racing facemask/overalls.
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Rank: Forum user
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Interesting thread. With my 30 plus years around asbestos i believe all of those stories to be true. I also believe that McQueen worked in ship breaking for a while before he got his acting break.
And back in the 80's, when demolishing power stations, the "burners", those guys on the oxy-propane flame cutting equipment that we used to cut the boiler plate off to get at the 12" thick asbestos behind, complained that the leather gauntlets they used got wet from all the water we used to spray at the insulation to get it wet. The solution? We bought Chrysotile gauntlets as typically used by Firemen.
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Rank: Super forum user
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ClarkeScholes wrote:Interesting thread. With my 30 plus years around asbestos i believe all of those stories to be true. I also believe that McQueen worked in ship breaking for a while before he got his acting break.
When he enlisted to The Marines, his first job was lagging pipes in the boiler house. I believe.
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Rank: Super forum user
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ClarkeScholes wrote:Interesting thread. With my 30 plus years around asbestos i believe all of those stories to be true. I also believe that McQueen worked in ship breaking for a while before he got his acting break.
And back in the 80's, when demolishing power stations, the "burners", those guys on the oxy-propane flame cutting equipment that we used to cut the boiler plate off to get at the 12" thick asbestos behind, complained that the leather gauntlets they used got wet from all the water we used to spray at the insulation to get it wet. The solution? We bought Chrysotile gauntlets as typically used by Firemen. as confirmed by my post at 9 (Can't find a hash key on my imac keyboard :-( )
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Rank: Forum user
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There is a picture of asbestos snow (American product of the 40`s & 50`s) we use in our refresher training for asbestos removal operatives.
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Rank: Forum user
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As an ex-Royal Navy Artificer one of my jobs in the early 1970's was to remove asbestos lagging from steam pipes to get to the flanges to remove the pipes. normal dress to do this was a pair of overalls no mask using a hammer and bolster chisel. By the time we finished the day we were white with dust and on blowing your nose the resultant mess was full of asbestos dust.
People wonder why I get my lungs tested every 2 years even though the compensation handed out to ex servicemen for asbestos related diseases is under half of what civilians get.
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