Vintage toys with asbestos in them?

[DappledHazel]

I have a couple of toys with rubber faces from the 1940-1950s and I was later informed of asbestos being commonly used in rubber materials as well as paint and I was wondering if anyone has heard of this being used in older toys? I apologize if this is a dumb question but I'm kind of concerned now since asbestos wasn't banned from being used in materials till the 1970s.

[invaderhorizongreen]

The only thing I could find was in regards to bakelite stuff, not toys. Perhaps in some crayons as well but that was in 2007.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

It seems like the danger is when asbestos particles become airborne, if I'm understanding the articles right. If the asbestos is in a solid, then there is less danger than asbestos in powders.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Yes it was an ingredient in a LOT of things.  No there's no need to STOP collecting things that bring you joy... just... don't put them in your orifices and wash your hands after playing with them.    LOL  Use gloves and pretend you work in a museum.

Now if you had some radium items I'd tell you to ditch them quick - by calling the fire dept.!!!   
And celluloid dolls have to be stored carefully because HEAT=spontaneous combustion!!!!

But vintage toys....?  Don't lick them, don't file bits of them off and huff the dust, don't decorate a child's room with them... uhhhh I mean the usual safety precautions to life... 

[DappledHazel]

Yes it was an ingredient in a LOT of things.  No there's no need to STOP collecting things that bring you joy... just... don't put them in your orifices and wash your hands after playing with them.    LOL  Use gloves and pretend you work in a museum.

Now if you had some radium items I'd tell you to ditch them quick - by calling the fire dept.!!!   
And celluloid dolls have to be stored carefully because HEAT=spontaneous combustion!!!!

But vintage toys....?  Don't lick them, don't file bits of them off and huff the dust, don't decorate a child's room with them... uhhhh I mean the usual safety precautions to life...

Yeah, I was just concerned if the paint was to chip or if it would get into the air somehow. I just vaguely heard something about it and I got worried.

[Mewtwofan1]

“Good news is, the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show a median latency of forty four point six years. So if you’re thirty or older, you’re laughing. Worst case scenario, you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, and it makes a happy face.”
   Thanks portal! But in all seriousness though, I think this is going to be safe, so long as you don’t stick the toys in your mouth, eyes or other holes. So no matter how good that lollipop accessory looks to eat, don’t eat it. And you should be washing your hands when you’re done touching it. Better yet, wear gloves.
 Now, if you told me you had extremely radioactive items, you can just leave those on the porch and I’ll pick em up and put them in my home. A little bit of radiation giving me a third eye never hurt.

[DappledHazel]

“Good news is, the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show a median latency of forty four point six years. So if you’re thirty or older, you’re laughing. Worst case scenario, you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, and it makes a happy face.”
   Thanks portal! But in all seriousness though, I think this is going to be safe, so long as you don’t stick the toys in your mouth, eyes or other holes. So no matter how good that lollipop accessory looks to eat, don’t eat it. And you should be washing your hands when you’re done touching it. Better yet, wear gloves.
 Now, if you told me you had extremely radioactive items, you can just leave those on the porch and I’ll pick em up and put them in my home. A little bit of radiation giving me a third eye never hurt.

You see, I started only recently collecting. I knew nothing of asbestos possibly being used in them so after I was informed of this I was worried it would come off them somehow into the air or from me touching it. I also have on multiple occasions touched them without gloves or washing my hands..

[lovesbabysquirmy]

You see, I started only recently collecting. I knew nothing of asbestos possibly being used in them so after I was informed of this I was worried it would come off them somehow into the air or from me touching it. I also have on multiple occasions touched them without gloves or washing my hands..

That's less exposure than any tradesperson digging through an old house would get.  You're fiiiiiiiiiiiiine.

[Stormness_1]

We have asbestos in our front yard. In fact the whole hill I live on, which features houses that demand upwards of $1000p/w rent, used to be an asbestos dumping ground. There were guys in white hazmat suits with fire hoses next door to us last year when they put down the foundations on the new house there last year. It's bad if you breathe it, but it's honestly not that hard not to breathe it in, because it takes a fair bit of disturbance to make it airbourne to begin with. Cutting it up, or breaking sheets of it, or digging it up as dust are really all you need to worry about, unless you're eating it. Toys aren't really a problem for adult collectors, just wash your hands afterwards like you would with any vintage toy.