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

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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

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211

http://uwm.edu/libraries/agsl/

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