Asbestos in vintage vacs??

[briguy]

Curious if anyone knows if the insulation/sound deadening material in the rear end of my Lux Model L would happen to contain asbestos? (See Photos) Or if the wiring in it might? I hadn't given consideration to old vacuums containing asbestos until a few nights ago when I was rewiring the plug on my old Frantz Premier. I got a bit scared & I've done some research here and elsewhere online and have read that some old appliances had asbestos braided cords and/or wiring. Any thoughts or recommendations from you guys is appreciated. I want to be cautious, but don't want to be overly concerned about something I shouldn't be. I'm also wondering about my Lux Model G if it has the same kind of material in the rear end, or not since it has the cord winder.

 

[madman]

Can't tell from the pics, but if it looks fluffy like something that's liable to be blown off into the air, then maybe take the time to remove it and possibly replace with something else.

Otherwise, don't worry about it. Asbestos is not even very harmful, unless you're grinding brake pads literally every day without a breathing mask. You'll find the only people who have asbestos lung cancer are those who've worked in industries handling the stuff every day of their lives and inhaled massive quantities over the course of decades. Worrying about a couple particles every now and again would be like worrying about getting radiation poisoning from eating bananas.

Also, asbestos cords are not a concern, because the asbestos just stays in the cord, it doesn't become airborne.

 

[bikerray]

They would use asbestos in cords on things like irons, heaters, toasters. Generally things that drew a lot of watts and produced heat in the cord. Since older vacuums don't draw that much I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[crazykirbydude]

Nah. AFAIK, Aerus Electrolux never used any asbestos in their old vacs. Still, that doesn't mean that some were used to suck up asbestos. It's always a good idea to use a mask and work in a well ventilated environment when working on old vacs.

 

[briguy]

Thanks for the advice guys! Much appreciated.