On 29/07/2026 17:12, Carey Schug via cctalk wrote:
i wondered, and ai confirmed, that vacuum tube computers likely
contained asbestos, but suggested in the vacuum tubes, so probably not
available unless there was destruction of vacuum tubes involved. And
I'm guessing this situation did not include vacuum tubes. AI says
that DEC only made transistorized computers.
I would say AI is talking twaddle. Why on earth would a tube contain
asbestos? When I asked "do vacuum tubes contain asbestos" the AI I
chose said NO!.
You might get asbestos as heat shielding, for example to allow the
temperature of mercury delay lines, core memory or drum memories to be
kept at a constant temperature, but in a thermionic valve?
They generally use Mica and Glass but I guess you could use asbestos as
well...
If there were issues with asbestos on DEC computers , which were in
common use , and very much hands on, then we would have an epidemic of
mesothelioma.
As others have said much more likely it came from the buildings. It was
widely used in building materials. For those affected in the UK
https://tandnasbestos.org.uk/companies/
I any case I don't believe the requestor is looking at the replies, they
asked for direct responses...
Dave
G4UGM
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On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 9:15 AM Alessandro Mazzini via cctalk
<[email protected]> wrote:
I'm not an expert and other people will , I assume, answer. But likely
asbestos was present in one or more than one of the clients locations (if we
assume a direct link vs any other external factor).
Here in Italy the old Olivetti had serious cases of asbestos but the issue
wasn't in the computers they manufactured. The issue was in the offices and
buildings of the manufacturing/development plant
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Manibusan via cctalk <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2026 11:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc: Jennifer Manibusan <[email protected]>
Subject: [cctalk] DEC and Asbestos
Hello! Our office represents the family of a gentleman (Mr. Marsh) who
passed away from mesothelioma, a cancer caused from breathing asbestos. Mr.
Marsh spent his career working for a contractor that provided third-party
installation and maintenance of DEC computer equipment at various customer
locations. We are curious if any DEC equipment ever contained asbestos,
possibly asbestos lined brakes, gaskets etc. I am wondering if anyone in
this forum has personal knowledge or documentation of asbestos use in DEC
equipment OR if any of you have a tape drive with a braking mechanism that
we can test for asbestos content? I can be reached via email or on my cell
phone (925) 639-8593 with your thoughts. Thank you for your time!
Regards,
Jennifer Manibusan
Legal Investigator
Maune Raichle Hartley French & Mudd, LLC
1900 Powell Street, Suite 200
Emeryville, CA 94608
(925) 639-8593 Cell
(314) 241-2003 Office
This communication may be attorney-client privileged or otherwise
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