So here is something I was pondering last night, does fire brick contain asbestos? Has anybody ever conducted a test for it? I know there are quite a people on here that would know more.

Thank you,
Cody Muse

I think they stopped using asbestos in some types fire brick in the 1960's, but I',m not sure if they ever used asbestos in railroad locomotive bricks.

Again, I can't say for sure, but I believe that older firebrick or refractory cement often does contain asbestos. On anything that has been out of service for awhile, I would proceed as if it DID (this includes not telling a soul). Even if it doesn't contain asbestos, you better figure that it contains something that would be harmful to breathe, and take all possible precautions...

Looking at some sources abestos was used in fire bricks, but I couldnt say all fire bricks did so. If your engine has fire bricks I would trace for the manufacturer if they did use abestos infused firebrick. For safety today I would look for non-abestos firebrick.
I don't know if firebrick would spew abestos as readily as other materials, it was used to strengthen brick. But to be certain you would change out the firebrick.

Thanks for all the replies. This is why I joined the RYPN, there are lots of smart people who know what they are talking about on here. I wouldn't be surprised if it does contain some, even if it's just a small percentage. I doubt that disturbing the arch brick will cause to much trouble, but it never hurts to be over cautious when working around it (or anything for that matter).

Thanks again,
Cody Muse

As an abatement supervisor you need to be cautious around anything like this, sometimes ignorance is bliss or you could open up a hugely expensive can of worms unnecessarily.
Get it tested if you wish but I wouldn't post the results publicly, especially not on here.
Mike

Firebrick containing asbestos was manufactured as late as 1972. Generally asbestos laden firebrick is safe to handle however cutting into the firebrick with a dry or wet saw will release particles small enough to be inhaled. Any firebrick found in stored/displayed steam locomotives most likely have firebrick containing asbestos. Discard it.

Non asbestos containing firebrick has silica and still you should be protected from the dry dust when cutting firebrick as the silica causes silicosis a lung fibrosis caused by the inhalation of dust containing silica. This will give you symptoms like COPD for the rest of your life. Use proper protection and use a wet saw.

Do some research on the various types of asbestos, and in particular "friable" vs "non-friable" asbestos.

They are treated and handled a lot differently. Removal and disposal options etc vary depending on the type you have and the condition it's in. It's quite possible that even if your firebrick has asbestos in it, it could be "non-friable" and that would make things easier.

Thanks for even more replies! I currently am not working around any arch brick or asbestos... Any brick I remove will disposed of and replaced with new, non-asbestos brick. Oh yes, silica... My dad has been in the oilfield for many years, he has told me many stories of the clouds of "frac sand" or silica, that's why they have fazed over to dust free systems as opposed to blowers mounted on trucks. I sure won't be cutting into any brick with a dry or wet saw. As many of you have said DON'T TELL ANYONE, and I can assure you that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Thanks as always,
Cody Muse