Actually, not all of California is so bad. We don’t permit things like wildfires and mudslides in Beverly Hills.

om — As you say, “the environmental movement is a affliction of the wealthy, burning other peoples money to protect their “health” from very small or nonexistent risks.” If you don’t work with asbestos without the proper safety equipment, the chances of your getting asbestosis or other diseases from it are virtually nil. But its fire-resisting characteristics are unmatched. Nothing could “fireproof” against burning jet fuel, but asbestos would have held longer, enabling more people to have gotten out of the World Trade Towers before they collapsed. But hey, what’s more important, a mouse getting cancer or people dying in a fire?

That is all true regarding asbestos-form minerals (ampiboles and possibly some zeolites). It was argued in the geologial literature in the 1980s when Canadian producers fought the ban on all asbestos because the varieties they produced were, they felt, not carcinogenic. The “Canadian” argument lost. So now the optical microscopy test is based on the aspect ratio (length/width) of the fibrous mineral in the sample IIRC.

An example of the small animal carcinogen large animal (human) non carcinogen effect is TCE (trichloroethylene) in groundwater, IIRC TCE is a carcinogen in mice. but not in rats, and not in humans, but many, many, many groundwater remediation projects have been required to remove TCE from groundwater to “protect” public health. So even the small animal to large animal approach to environmental toxicology is not without flaws. In some ways the environmental movement is a affliction of the wealthy, burning other peoples money to protect their “health” from very small or nonexistent risks. But this is the USA.

In the USA asbestos-based siding (used to be called Transite) is not legal anywhere. Hardiplank and Hardiboard is a portland cement based siding product that is fire resistant but even that is regulated in California as a potential carcinogen because it contains significant amounts of SiO2 (aka quartz). You have to use specific techniques/tools to lessen exposure to dust when cutting it (I’ve installed it).

So much to be thankful for — but imperfect America, and Great Americans, still have work to so. And like so many normal people, are a bit lazy and would rather have fun rather do the hard work like many prior generations did do.

Happy Thanksgiving – please give Thanks for America, for Due Process, for Separation of Church and State, for Separation of Powers, for Federal Laws and State Laws, for Good Judges, for Good Politicians.

In discussions, please focus on the goals: an America where everybody is Free – as long as they’re not physically hurting others. An America that celebrates Life, Human Life, Lives of people who choose to live their dreams — more than ever in all history.

A Rich America, where those who are responsible and work, and avoid sex outside of marriage, can buy their own homes and raise their families in safety and dignity, whatever race or class they came from

America, with the Greatest Ideals for a country, exceptional among those ever on Earth.