Archive for the ‘Asbestos Exposure’ Category

Recently in Los Angeles, the federal Environmental Protection Agency fined the city Department of Water and Power a total of $9,030 dollars for asbestos-related violations.

The fine was incurred after the EPA determined that the LA Department had demolished certain structures without notifying the EPA about the demolition. Such notification is required in accordance with the federal Clean Air Act, which is designed to regulate the risk of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is dangerous because exposure can cause a range of serious diseases, including asbestosis, a debilitating lung condition that reduces lung capacity. Exposure to asbestos can also cause the development of mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Most cases of malignant mesothelioma are diagnosed in a late stage of development as a result of the latency period associated with the disease.

Demolition activities carry particular risks because of the possibility of generating large quantities of airborne asbestos fibers. For this reason, asbestos must always be removed before any structure is demolished. Asbestos should only be handled by a licensed contractor who has the knowledge and skills needed to safely remove the material.

In addition to removing asbestos, the transportation of the substance also requires great experience. All asbestos-containing materials must be sealed in leak-proof containers, clearly labeled, and disposed of at a facility equipped to handle hazardous materials.

The EPA, along with the California Air Resources Board, determined in August of 2007 that the LA Department of Water and Power was responsible for the demolition of structures near Niland, California.

Deborah Jordan, director of the Air Division for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region, said of the incident, “When a building is demolished, asbestos must be properly removed in order to protect the health of workers and the community. We can avoid creating a public health threat from airborne asbestos by following the safeguards required by law.”

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been used in thousands of products across the globe. The mineral is composed of fibers that are flexible and soft, yet durable and very resistant to heat and fire. Because of this unique combination of characteristics, asbestos became a very useful material in many domestic and industrial applications. However, this mineral is very toxic and is known to cause a range of terminal health conditions, such as asbestosis, mesothelioma cancer, and lung cancer. This is why homeowners are advised to contact a home inspector to have their residence checked for contamination.

Asbestos was widely used across the United States from the late 1800s until the 1980s, when scientific evidence had long proven the hazards of human asbestos exposure. This mineral can still be found in numerous products on the American market, just in smaller quantities than previously allowed. Found in domestic products ranging from ovens to ironing boards to clothing, asbestos was also avidly added to construction materials, such as insulation, siding, roofing, cements, shingles, and pipe coverings, to name a few.

Due to its prevalence in the construction industry, millions of homes and buildings across the country are contaminated with asbestos. Many of these structures are older and the asbestos-containing materials are breaking down with age and pose a greater risk of releasing carcinogenic fibers. Those who are concerned about materials in their home that may contain asbestos should hire a certified master inspector to assess the home for potential contamination.

Some areas of the country are known as “asbestos hotspots” due to the prevalence of asbestos in various industries, public structures, and private residences. One of these hotspots is found in the New England area, where the American asbestos industry found its roots. For example, according to the Environmental Working Group Action Fund, Massachusetts holds the nation’s No. 8 spot for mesothelioma-caused deaths. This implies that asbestos exposure in the state could be among the highest in the nation. However, contacting a Massachusetts home inspector could help to reduce and even prevent unnecessary asbestos exposure.

Numerous advances in technology have evolved the home inspection industry into an efficient process utilizing techniques such as infrared technology that help to quickly assess areas of concern within a home. Having a home inspected for asbestos contamination is an expedient and cost-effective way to determine the risk of asbestos exposure within the residence, and this simple process could be the single most important step to preventing hazardous exposure.

A construction site in Catonsville, Baltimore County has been shut down due to the concern of asbestos fibers being released during the project. Neighbors who live nearby the site are particularly concerned that they may have been exposed to the toxic substance.

Asbestos is dangerous because any amount of exposure can lead to a range of serious diseases. Such diseases include asbestosis, a debilitating lung condition that reduces lung capacity, and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer developing within the mesothelial lining of the lungs, heart, and abdomen.

Asbestos was widely used throughout much of the twentieth century due to its insulating and fire-resistant properties. The toxic mineral can still be found in thousands products that were used until the 1980s, including many types of construction materials.

However, in the case of this Catonsville construction site, the issue is not asbestos-containing construction materials. Rather, it is naturally occurring asbestos in the ground that is causing the problem. Asbestos rock was originally crushed during the early stages of site preparation, which sent asbestos dust into the air and to nearby homes and businesses.

Construction on the site has been stopped while contractors, neighbors, and other officials attempt to figure out how much exposure has already occurred and how to prevent further danger. Community members are especially worried because it’s impossible to predict the long term consequences of exposure.

Asbestos-related diseases such as pleural mesothelioma can take between two and five decades to develop after the initial exposure has occurred. As a result, the locals who have been exposed to asbestos from the construction site may not know they have contracted the disease for quite some time.

The site owner, Enterprise Homes, has hired a geotechnical engineer to confirm the presence of asbestos. However, apart from controlling dust emissions on construction sites, there are no real regulations that restrict or control what to do when naturally-occurring asbestos is discovered.

Enterprise Homes has so far promised that air quality will be monitored while the work is in progress, and nearby homes will be tested for asbestos in the future.

The McNeil Island Corrections Facility in Washington has recently received several citations and a fine of $28,400 for two willful and seven serious violations relating to work completed in 2007.

According to state records, inmates at the facility raised concerns when they were forced to remove asbestos-containing tiles without protective equipment and safety precautions. Other reports stated their concerns were ignored by supervisors. The incident occurred in November and December of 2007.

Incredibly, two supervisors involved in the project even had state certifications in asbestos removal, yet disregarded to use proper asbestos removal methods. According to the report on the incident, “All asbestos certification classes, for workers and supervisors, emphasize the use of water as a universal control of asbestos fibers. A certified asbestos supervisor should know the proper method of removing class 2 asbestos materials.”

However, no such methods were used, as one of the supervisors told the prison that water was not needed to reduce the amount of asbestos dust. Exposure to asbestos can lead to serious diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they most commonly attach themselves to the mesothelial lining of the lungs to form pleural mesothelioma. In addition to the lungs, the lining of the heart and abdomen can also contract this harmful disease. 

The case files of the State Department of Labor and Industries say at least 18 people may have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers.

Prison officials said they believed the work was carried out correctly and safely, and that they did not think the Puget Sound Clean Air Act asbestos regulations applied to the work that was being completed.

The State Director of Prisons has ordered a review of the incident, and the Department of Corrections has appealed the ruling from the Department of Labor and Industries. However, they have only asked for the severity of some violations to be reduced, and that the prison be allowed to use some of the fine money to train maintenance workers and supervisors in working safely with and around asbestos.

The violations include not using wetting agents to reduce dust, not using a HEPA-filter vacuum or respirator, allowing offenders without certification in asbestos removal to perform the work, and failure to provide those working nearby with written warning of the presence of asbestos.

U.S. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana recently chaired a Senate hearing for the purpose of questioning why the federal Environmental Protection Agency did not declare a public health emergency in Libby, Montana in 2002. Doing so would have allowed the EPA to allot more funding and manpower to clean up the town and start screening residents for health problems.

According to released documents, the EPA had originally prepared to declare a public health emergency for Libby in April 2002. However, they later changed their mind and opted for easier, cheaper, and less extensive method of removing asbestos-contaminated Zonolite insulation from attics in the homes of residents.

Several weeks later, the EPA released a memo stating that asbestos cleanup in Libby attics would begin, but the public health emergency declaration was never made.

Exposure to asbestos has been linked to several serious diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure occurs when toxic, microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested into the body. After being inhaled, the fibers typically attach themselves to the mesothelial lining of the lungs, known as pleural mesothelioma. However, these fibers can also attach to the mesothelial linings surrounding the heart and abdomen.

In January of this year, Sen. Baucus referred to the incident, saying, “It’s very clear to me that there was a lot of political pressure to prevent EPA from making the right decision a couple of years ago. And that’s just wrong, wrong, wrong.”

Baucus chaired the latest hearing in an attempt to gain some answers, but many of the key personnel involved in the incident back in 2002 failed to attend.

Sen. Baucus particularly wanted to question two people—EPA administrator Stephen Johnson, and former on-scene co-coordinator for the Libby cleanup, Paul, Peronard. However, Johnson failed to appear, and the EPA simply didn’t allow Peronard to attend.

During the hearing, Baucus testified that documents he obtained could prove the EPA officials working on the cleanup in Libby wanted the agency to declare a public health emergency.

However, Baucus claimed that the Office of Management and Budget squashed the idea to prevent the issues about asbestos-contaminated Zonolite from becoming national news.

Also present at the hearing were Lincoln County Commissioner Marianne Roose and Brad Black of the Center for Asbestos-Related Disease, who both stated Libby was in need of additional aid.

A former manufacturing plant in Fremont, California has been asked to provide employees with information about asbestos. Public health officials have said that former and current employees must be informed about the potential impact of asbestos exposure they may have experienced while working at the plant.

According to a recent report from the Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, workers at the Flintkote Company may have been exposed to low levels of asbestos between 1967 and 1979.

In addition, the report says that anyone who lived with an employee of the Flintkote Company during those years may also be at risk of asbestos exposure because employees often transported asbestos fibers home on their clothing, skin, and hair.

Asbestos is known to cause several forms of serious disease, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the mesothelial linings of the body’s organs. The disease most commonly develops in lining of the lungs, which is known as pleural mesothelioma, and typically appears between two and five decades after initial asbestos exposure.

The heavy use of asbestos in construction materials is the reason why former Flintkote employees are at risk. Between the years of 1967 and 1979, the company produced and manufactured fire-resistant wall boards containing asbestos.

In 2004, the Flintkote Company entered bankruptcy due to asbestos-related lawsuits.

Health officials say that former Flintkote workers, as well as household members of those workers should contact a doctor with experience concerning asbestos-related diseases. They should also receive regular check-ups, quit smoking, and learn more about asbestos to protect their health.

The report additionally warns that fibers may have been released into the nearby neighborhood during the years Flintkote manufactured asbestos-containing wall boards.

A federal court recently ruled against the city of St. Louis and the city-owned Lambert-St. Louis International Airport for endangering the public by improperly removing asbestos to demolish buildings and construct a new runway.

The court ruling affirmed that the city of St. Louis and its airport violated federal asbestos safety standards in destroying asbestos-contaminated buildings belonging to a community known as Bridgeton. The removal method in question is known as the “wet method,” where water hoses are used to blow asbestos-laden materials from attics, walls, ceilings, and pipes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has yet to test whether the method is actually safe to use.

Government scientists and public health officials denounce the method and argue its use puts the public at risk of exposure and subsequent development of asbestos-related disease, such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. The latter is an aggressive and rare cancer that most commonly affects the mesothelial lining of the lungs, known as pleural mesothelioma. The disease lays latent for upwards of several decades and is usually diagnosed in late stages of development, and this negatively affects the efficacy of mesothelioma treatments.

The EPA was not aware that the city was using the method until hundreds of structures had been demolished. It wasn’t until 2003 that the EPA approved the use of the wet method, which the agency hopes to utilize in urban areas throughout the nation. The EPA has both approved and disapproved of the wet method throughout the country. Some towns in Texas, for example, have received approval to use the wet method whereas others, such as the case of an asbestos-contaminated hotel in Fort Worth, are not allowed to employ the method.

The EPA even revoked permission to use the wet method on St. Louis’ city-owned airport in August 2004, just after awarding permission in spring 2003.

The cases that were not approved by the EPA typically resulted from great pressure by local environmental groups, and the approved cases usually occurred in economically depressed parts of various towns that are recognized minority or poor sections. Public and human rights groups have publically decried the innate inequality of using an unproven method of removal in minority or poor areas.

These culturally diverse communities are recklessly being used as an experimental testing ground for an environmental hazard. Many find it hard to believe a social injustice of this magnitude could occur in the United States, but it is a harsh reality that rarely makes major media headlines. Social rights activists argue these already marginalized communities are should not be treated as the nation’s guinea pigs and have called for government officials to stop approving the use of the wet method.

Parents of children attending Norman Elementary School in Austin, Texas have become concerned about asbestos in the school, but according to the school district, there’s no cause for alarm.

Norman Elementary was built around 40 years ago during the decades of widespread asbestos use, and parents are finally demanding that all traces of the toxin be removed from the school’s buildings.

According to a school district spokesperson, at least half of the classrooms in the city of Austin contain asbestos. The spokesperson has also told parents and local news teams that the asbestos contamination in the schools is not in a condition where inhalation can occur.

Judy Vallejo, whose grandson attends kindergarten at Norman Elementary, says her grandson suffers from headaches and coughing fits on a regular basis. And now that the school has recently sent a letter home saying the campus may contain asbestos, she is especially worried. She believes the contamination may be making her grandson sick, even though the letter states the asbestos is not in a condition where it can pose a risk.

Many parents don’t believe their children are safe from asbestos exposure, yet Norman Elementary officials say the school isn’t scheduled for asbestos remediation any time soon.

The issue of asbestos in schools is an increasingly widespread problem throughout the United States. As asbestos-containing materials age, repairs and renovations may cause disturbance to asbestos materials. Such disturbances can potentially present a health hazard if proper procedures are not used to prevent exposure.

Inhalation of asbestos fibers is known to cause mesothelioma, an aggressive and rare form of cancer. In addition to mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer is also caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Pleural mesothelioma is particularly harmful, as many experts believe only a few fibers are needed to cause the cancer.

When dealing with asbestos in schools, the EPA requires that all schools containing asbestos maintain a management plan that entails the location of asbestos, its condition, and the measures taken to prevent exposure. In schools where asbestos is present, school officials must provide written notice to parents and school employees. In addition, parents and employees can request to see a copy of the asbestos management plan at any time.

Removal of contaminants such as asbestos and lead are scheduled to begin at the Ithaca Gun Factory very soon, but locals still have concerns about the safety of the project, including the fact that demolition debris may be left at the site after the work is completed. Local action group The Ithaca Gun Community Advisory Group has asked that any debris left at the site be tested to ensure it is safe.

The Ithaca Gun Factory is contaminated with a range of harmful substances, including asbestos, chlorinated solvents (including trichloroethylene), and lead. All three are known to be hazardous: lead can have a negative impact on the brain development of children, and asbestos and trichloroethylene are known human carcinogens.

Although the federal Environmental Protection Agency spent $4.8 million between 2002 and 2004 on cleaning up the site, it remains heavily contaminated.

Improper and unsafe removal of asbestos materials can lead to hazardous asbestos fibers being released into the air. If these fibers are inhaled or ingested, serious diseases including asbestosis and mesothelioma can develop. The most common form of latter is pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer that is rarely cured. Unfortunately, these diseases are typically diagnosed in advanced stages of development, which often complicates the benefits of mesothelioma treatments.

The current remediation plan involves decontaminating the site, followed by redevelopment of the site into a condo building by a local developer. This year, however,  residents have expressed concern over whether the budget for the project is big enough, as well as whether the work can be carried out safely.

With the project scheduled to begin very soon, The Ithaca Gun Community Advisory Group and the contractor hired by the site developer are now disagreeing over whether any debris will be left onsite to be reused in development, and how much lead can safely be left on the site at the completion of the decontamination work. The state Department of Conservation has still not made a decision on these issues, despite the fact that the project could begin any day.

The chairperson of the community group, Sarah Steuteville, said the group was shocked when it learned some of the demolition debris would be reused to redevelop the site. The group says they were told it would be too expensive to remove all of the debris.

Now, the action group, together with Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson, has proposed a compromise: that any debris remaining onsite after the completion should be tested to ensure it is not harmful.

However, there’s still a problem: the environmental consultants hired to work on the site have proposed testing every 500 to 1,000 cubic yards of debris, but the advisory group says that’s not enough. They want every 100 cubic yards of debris tested, and they also want the site cleaned to a higher standard than has been proposed by the environmental consultants.

Unfortunately, following the guidelines requested by the committee may mean the project might run out of money. Finding a compromise both sides can accept is proving to be a difficult process.

The city of Winslow was recently fined $240,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency as a penalty for asbestos violations committed last year. The violations included illegal removal of asbestos, illegal disposal of asbestos, and failure to notify the proper authorities of the presence of asbestos.

The suit filed by the EPA named the city and John Roche, the former city manager, as well as the owner of the building where the violations were committed. They were accused of demolishing four apartment buildings without inspecting them for asbestos.

If asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed during demolition, toxic fibers will often be released into the air. These fibers, if inhaled or ingested, can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. Malignant mesothelioma often takes several decades to develop, and when it is finally diagnosed, most mesothelioma treatments do not have a curative affect on the disease.

Tipsters originally notified state authorities that the buildings were in the process of being torn down, and the demolition was ordered to a halt. Tests were carried out and the presence of asbestos was confirmed.

Despite the demolition being halted and the discovery of asbestos in the buildings, John Roche ordered that five more buildings be demolished.

Another recent asbestos-related fine was levied against a Pittsfield, Massachusetts man, who pled guilty to illegally removing asbestos from an apartment building.

Gerald Ely admitted to having failed to follow the proper protocols that regulate the removal and handling of asbestos. Ely was required to notify the State Department of Environmental Protection about the presence and removal of the asbestos, but failed to do so, according to the State Attorney General’s office.

Ely was charged with violations of the Massachusetts Clean Air Act after inspectors found asbestos insulation within the building was in poor condition. The inspectors ordered the asbestos be removed immediately, but a year later a further inspection revealed the material had remained in the building.

The state recommended a 90 day sentence at the County Jail & House of Correction, as well as a fine of $10,000. However, after pleading guilty, the judge ordered him to pay a fine of $2,000.