[Geoff]

Does anyone know if the white "cardboard" on the top of my Zenith 6S321 is made from asbestos?

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=2]

A larger image can be found here:

http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...ewsIndex=1

Thanks,
Geoff

[klondike98]

I would bet that it is.  I see on the other forum from a quick search that Zenith and others did put asbestos heat shields in their radios and its hard to imagine why a piece of cardboard would be put there.  So I'd treat it as asbestos to be safe.  Found this on a Canadian forum and I'm sure others on this Phorum have encountered it.  

[morzh]

If it is...I would not discard it.
It is perfectly safe if not disturbed much, polverized etc.
It takes working with it constantly, inhaling dust to develop problems.

[Geoff]

If it is...I would not discard it.
It is perfectly safe if not disturbed much, polverized etc.
It takes working with it constantly, inhaling dust to develop problems.

That's what I always figured. Long-term occupational exposure is what causes the health issues. I already removed it and sealed it in a plastic bag. I'll replace it with what was recommended on the Canadian site or something similar:

In cases of the ACM being used as a heat-protecting sheet, glass fibre has similar insulating properties and you can buy small glass-fibre mats designed for plumbers, to prevent heat from blowlamps scorching paintwork etc. These are readily obtainable at low cost from most DIY stores, and are easily to cut to size.

Thanks guys!

- Geoff

[Eric Adams]

The last time I ran into asbestos in a radio, it was intact like in the OP's photo. I cut a piece of aluminum foil to completely cover it. I applied rubber cement to the foil and paced it over the asbestos. Done!

[morzh]

I am gonna carefully remove mine, fix the chassis (I have three Zeniths portables to take care of), then will reinstall the asbestos sheet. We all grew up with clothing irons using asbestos insulating heater from handle, and all people had to change the heaters every so often.....

People like to scare people. Plus it creates business. Think of it, we replaced incandescent lamps with CFL using mercury vapors, how much more proof does one need.....

[Geoff]

People like to scare people. Plus it creates business. Think of it, we replaced incandescent lamps with CFL using mercury vapors, how much more proof does one need.....

+1 on that one.