Angie,

Asbestos can be used in the manufacture of molded plastics: 
https://www.levylaw.com/asbestos-plastics/ . With respect to specific 
use in raised relief maps, I do not know. From that online discussion:

  "What kinds of finished products were made from asbestos-containing 
plastics? Most often, the asbestos was added to plastics that would 
ultimately be used in high-heat applications. These included plastics 
used in the automotive industry, high-performance plastics for the 
aerospace industry, electric and electro-mechanical parts and 
applications (e.g., switches, circuit breakers, arc chutes), and heavy 
appliances. However, since many finished plastic products were 
components of larger machines or equipment, it is quite possible that 
any plastic manufacturer may have used asbestos-containing plastics at 
one time or another."


                   Joel


On 7/24/18 12:46 PM, Angela R Cope wrote:
>
> *From:*David Medeiros <[log in to unmask]>
>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 24, 2018 11:41 AM
> *To:* Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc.
> *Cc:* Angela R Cope
> *Subject:* Re: Was asbestos used in production of raised relief maps
>
> Never heard of it being used, but I'm not an expert. High density 
> foam, plaster and wood are probably the most common materials. I might 
> try to get in touch with Tom Patterson from the US NPS. He's an expert 
> on relief mapping and may have some  background in physical relief models.
>
> http://www.shadedrelief.com/
>
> David Medeiros
>
> Stanford Geospatial Center
>
> mapbliss.com
>
>
> On 2018-07-24 09:22, Angela R Cope wrote:
>
>> Is it shark week or raised relief map week? Both I guess.
>>
>> I got a call from a patron wanting to know if asbestos was used in 
>> the production/creation of raised relief maps. Does anyone know what 
>> materials (plastics, etc.) were used to either confirm or deny that 
>> asbestos was used?
>>
>> Do you know a source of information or an expert on this topic? I can 
>> put you in touch with the patron or I can pass the information along.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Angie Cope
>> AGS Library, UW Milwaukee Libraries
>> 2311 E. Hartford Avenue
>> Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211
>>
>> http://uwm.edu/libraries/agsl/
>> M-F 8:00am-4:30pm [log in to unmask] (414)229-6282
>> 43°03'8"N 87°57'21"W
>> 1505846149570_image001.png