the use of asbestos in Luftwaffe aircraft

[Luftwaffe 1941]

Ive been collecting Luftwaffe aircraft parts for about 3 years now, and I mostly collect parts in relic condition from crash sites. I had a run in with a part that had remains of asbestos on it last year. At first I didn't know what the stuff looked like, but luckily my dad works in a field where he must be familiar with the deadly stuff. He was the one that told me it was on the part I received. I quickly sealed the part in a plastic bag, and put it outside. I'm pretty sure that part was washed away in the major flooding we received last august, as I haven't seen it since.

Ive continued to collect aircraft relics from the German Luftwaffe despite the scare I had with asbestos. Ive tried my best to avoid parts that contain this mineral, and last Friday I had another run in with the terrible stuff. I bought a group of parts from a He-111 crash site in Stalingrad. I was exited to receive the parts as a good deal of history is actually known about this particular crash. But my excitement was short lived as I realized one part had visible portions of asbestos attached to it. To be exact it was a section of the engine fire wall. It is a piece that consist of two sections of skin, and sandwiched between them is a sheet of interwoven stands of asbestos. Like a fool I didn't realize what the substance was. I was intrigued by the odd looking pieces of string hanging out of the relic, and touched it. When I did I saw visible particles fly off of the string, and into the air. It was then I realized what the substance was. I quickly sealed the relic in a plastic bag, and set it out side. I took the other parts that were shipped with it and boxed them up, and also set them outside.

After all of that I took a shower, and washed the clothes I was wearing. Ever since that day Ive been really paranoid over the exposure I had, and it also has me worried over the other parts in my collection. As far as I can tell no other parts in my collection contain the deadly stuff, but I could be wrong. So here are my questions. Should I be concerned over the exposure I had last Friday? What specific parts on Luftwaffe aircraft contained asbestos? Was asbestos even used on Luftwaffe aircraft, or was there some type of asbestos substitute? Hopefully you guys can help me out with this situation as its gotten me a bit worked up over the past few days.

Best regards- Jarret

[BrodieBartfast]

When I was younger, being taught about WWII at school, my grandparents took me to see my great uncle, who let me borrow some artifacts for show and tell. One of said artifacts was a Civilian Duty Respirator, the kind with white asbestos in the filter element. Multiple times that day, I wore the mask around the playground, breathing through the filter. To this day, over a decade later, I have suffered no ill effects from it.

Of course, exposure and affliction differs for pretty much everyone, and can depend on a variety of factors. Sometimes long term exposure causes ill effects, other times it only takes brief exposure - even a single incident. It also depends on what type of asbestos you've been exposed to. Blue asbestos - also known as Crocidolite - is by far the most dangerous, as it's the most brittle and breaks up into fibers that are easily inhaled.

I wouldn't say you have anything to worry about, but at the same time do not underestimate the hazardous nature of the stuff. Treating it with some form of epoxy resin may be in order, preferably outdoors. This would allow you to keep and display the relic without having to worry about letting loose any more fibers.
Some people are affected with mesothelioma from only brief exposure, others work for decades with the stuff and suffer no ill effects at all! There are many things in this life which may harm and kill us. Statistically, asbestos is very low on that list!

Regards, B.B.

[Luftwaffe 1941]

When I was younger, being taught about WWII at school, my grandparents took me to see my great uncle, who let me borrow some artifacts for show and tell. One of said artifacts was a Civilian Duty Respirator, the kind with white asbestos in the filter element. Multiple times that day, I wore the mask around the playground, breathing through the filter. To this day, over a decade later, I have suffered no ill effects from it.

Of course, exposure and affliction differs for pretty much everyone, and can depend on a variety of factors. Sometimes long term exposure causes ill effects, other times it only takes brief exposure - even a single incident. It also depends on what type of asbestos you've been exposed to. Blue asbestos - also known as Crocidolite - is by far the most dangerous, as it's the most brittle and breaks up into fibers that are easily inhaled.

I wouldn't say you have anything to worry about, but at the same time do not underestimate the hazardous nature of the stuff. Treating it with some form of epoxy resin may be in order, preferably outdoors. This would allow you to keep and display the relic without having to worry about letting loose any more fibers.
Some people are affected with mesothelioma from only brief exposure, others work for decades with the stuff and suffer no ill effects at all! There are many things in this life which may harm and kill us. Statistically, asbestos is very low on that list!

Regards, B.B.

I really appreciate the info B.B. The type I encountered is white esbestos (I believe) as it appears to be a white color. Im hoping it is indeed white, as that is the least deadly (But still very dangerous) type of asbestos. I hope me and you both will be ok from the short exposures we had

Best regards- Jarret

[BrodieBartfast]

I really appreciate the info B.B. The type I encountered is white esbestos (I believe) as it appears to be a white color. Im hoping it is indeed white, as that is the least deadly (But still very dangerous) type of asbestos. I hope me and you both will be ok from the short exposures we had

Best regards- Jarret

I don't know how one would go about identifying a specific type of asbestos. I'm sure there are members here who have worked with it, and will be able to help you.

I'm not too concerned about my own exposure. Here in the UK, asbestos is all over the place. It was used for decades in everything from ceiling and pipe insulation to toilet seats. Chances are I've been exposed to it at some point in my life already. Whoever we are, however we live our lives, something will get us in the end.

B.B.

[Luftwaffe 1941]

Well shorty after my last post on this thread I received a relieving email. I reached out to a very well respected aircraft enthusiast. He mainly deals in Luftwaffe artifacts, and has been dealing with this stuff for many years now. Anyways I asked him about the use of asbestos in Luftwaffe aircraft, and if the part I encountered contained any. He thinks finding asbestos in any Luftwaffe aircraft is unlikely. He said they used cotton, and other fabric to act as insulation. He also said that hes never encountered any asbestos in any German wreck. One more thing he noted is there are no documents that exist that show asbestos use in German aircraft.

So I guess the material I encountered is a fabric type of insulation. This is a huge relief as I thought I had disturbed harmful particles. Ill try to take some photos of the particular relic im referring to, and post them here. I'm still going to keep it sealed as you can never be to careful.

Best regards- Jarret