Archive for the ‘Kansas’ Category

After recent storms the Kansas Department of Health and Environments has issued a general warning to remind residents of storm-damaged areas that asbestos exposure is a possibility which should be guarded against while cleaning up debris.

Asbestos was a common component of construction materials up until the 1980s due to its high fire resistance and other desirable factors. Asbestos was so cheap and had so many desirable properties that it was added to thousands of products, including many types of construction materials. Asbestos is therefore present in many residential, commercial, and industrial buildings built before this time.

However, due to the hazards associated with asbestos exposure, many problems associated with its exposure are now arising. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause lethal diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma due to the chronic inflammation that the fibers cause in the lungs. These hazards mean it is necessary to take extra safety precautions when working with asbestos and asbestos-containing products.

Department of Health and Environments regulations require that if any resident hires a contractor to remove asbestos, the contractor be licensed. However, homeowners can opt to do the work themselves. In these cases, the DHE recommends that the following practices be used to help minimize the risks of exposure to asbestos:

Wearing gloves, overalls and a respirator during removal, and thorough shower and washing after removal of debris to remove fibers and dust that might be on the body. The clothing which is used during removal should be kept separate from any other clothing and any uncontaminated areas.

When removing materials which are suspected to contain asbestos, the materials should be wetted with low-pressure water, to minimize the dispersal of asbestos dust and fibers. Only materials which absolutely need to be removed should be disturbed, and breakage of asbestos materials should be minimized as much as possible.

During any demolition and removal of asbestos, the materials should be kept wet. In addition, the materials should be kept wet and covered (by a tarp or similar item) during transportation to a licensed landfill. Asbestos must only be disposed of at approved sites which are equipped and licensed to handle the substance.

The DHE also says that residents can consult with the department if they need additional help, including any on-site direction on how to safely proceed with asbestos removal.

According to the DHE, materials likely to contain asbestos including ceiling and floor tiles, textured ceilings, roofing materials, siding, vermiculite insulation, pipe wrapping materials, acoustical panels, and cement materials such as pipes and millboard.

Kansas - A building at Kansas State University has unexpectedly been closed down after concerns that a contractor may have released asbestos fibers into the air.

Leasure Hall, one of the oldest buildings at the university, was built in 1908 and houses the American Ethnic Studies program, and the Women’s Studies program. Classes have been moved until the building has been proven safe for entry.

Public Safety Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Broccolo ordered that building closed after the potential asbestos exposure was discovered, and says the building should be reopened by the middle of the week.

The concern over asbestos exposure was raised after a contractor carried out some work in Leasure Hall in preparation for installation of an elevator shaft. Employees working in the building were drilling holes in a wall while carrying out exploratory work, and due to the possible presence of asbestos in some of the construction materials in the walls, it’s possible that asbestos fibers were released into the air.

Asbestos was commonly used in construction materials during the twentieth century, particularly between the 1940s and 1980s. Even though Leasure Hall was built well outside the years of peak use of asbestos in America, it’s likely that any repairs carried out during those years used asbestos construction materials of some kind.

Asbestos was widely used because it is cheap, light, durable, and fire proof. However, it is also a known human carcinogen, and inhalation of relatively small amounts of asbestos fibers can cause a lethal cancer called mesothelioma, which usually develops in the lining of the lungs.

Samples of the air from the work area in Leasure Hall have been taken and sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Clean-up of the area has already begun and is expected to be finished quickly. Another air sample will be taken once clean-up has been completed, and the building will be reopened if the test confirms that the air quality it safe for students and staff to reenter.

Liberal, Kansas – Asbestos has been exposed in yet another school this week, this time in an elementary school in Liberal, Kansas. According to USD 480 Director of Auxiliary Services Alan Haskell, the asbestos was discovered in insulation during an installation procedure at MacArthur Elementary School.

Haskell said, “For the past six to eight months, we’ve been going into the different schools and putting electrical outlets in the ceiling for ceiling mounted projectors… The company accidentally cut four small electrical outlets out in the ceiling in the round structure at MacArthur.”

Cutting holes in the “round structure” helped expose asbestos-containing insulation that had been added when the school was constructed.

Vast amounts of asbestos were used in construction between the 1940s and 1980s, due to the substance’s excellence as a thermal, electrical, and acoustical insulator, and also due to the fact that vast quantities of asbestos could be mined cheaply.

Haskell also said that the school called Thompson Environmentalists as soon as the asbestos was discovered. Thompson Environmentalists is a company that performs biannual inspections at USD 480 schools. In addition, Haskell added, “As soon as we found out [about the asbestos], we isolated that area.”

The asbestos was exposed during the week of March 17, during the school’s Spring Break, so there were no students in the area at the time. However, the asbestos was not discovered until March 21.

Only around half a square foot of asbestos insulation was exposed, and the area was isolated while the area was cleaned up. Air tests were then carried out to determine if unsafe levels of asbestos were present. According to Alan Haskell, the tests showed an “allowable amount” of asbestos.

The “allowable amount” is that defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL). For asbestos, that limit is 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of air.

The school filed reports with the state according to EPA regulations that require all schools with asbestos to have an asbestos management plan. Plans must include information about where asbestos is located in the school, and what, if any, steps are taken to seal or otherwise contain it.

Parents of students at the school, and employees of the school, can request to view a copy of a school’s asbestos management plan at any time. Schools are also required to inform parents and employees of the existence of the plan each year.

March 21, 2008, Madison County, Illinois – Over the past few years, asbestos cases had dropped off in Madison County. This week, however, that all changed, as twenty asbestos-related lawsuits were filed between March 13 and March 18.

That’s a total of 1,036 summonses being sent to defendants in the suits, and a total of $129,997 in fees paid to the Madison County Circuit Clerk’s Office.

March 13

* Marcella Walters (Nebraska) was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2007 and claims she was exposed to asbestos between 1946 and 1977 while working as a secretary. She also claims she received secondary exposure from her husband’s work clothes.

* The estate of Mary Hazelrigg (Indiana) claims she was exposed during the 1970s while working as a welder’s assistant, and via secondary exposure from her ex-husband’s clothing. She died in April 2007 after being diagnosed with mesothelioma in October 2006.

* Darrel Henderson (Kansas) claims he has lung cancer that developed as a result of asbestos exposure during his service in the US Navy. He was diagnosed in 2007.

* The estate of Nancy Foster claims her lung cancer developed following asbestos exposure during the 1960s and 1970s while working as a laborer and housekeeper.

* Edward Kronsperger, diagnosed with mesothelioma in January 2008, claims he developed the disease as a result of asbestos exposure while in service to the US Navy.

* The estate of James Price (Tennessee) claims he developed lung cancer as a result of asbestos exposure while working for Texaco, Shell Oil, Amoco, Anheuser-Busch, Chrysler and American Zinc between 1964 and 1993.

March 14

* William Yeager (Missouri) claims his mesothelioma developed following asbestos exposure during his career as a boilermaker.

* Forrest Bateman (Idaho) developed mesothelioma, allegedly following work as a dairy farmer, machinist, and x-ray technician, between 1949 and 1990. He also claims to have suffered secondary exposure from his wife’s work clothes.

* Nina Anderson (Illinois) claims her mesothelioma developed from a mixture of occupational and secondary asbestos exposure from her husband’s work clothes.

* The Estate of Daniel Malcolm claims he died of mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure that occurred during his career as a teacher and foundry-worker.

March 17

* Larry Marlow (Texas) was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2007, following a 41 year career working as a laborer.

* The estate of Doyle Clayton claims his mesothelioma developed after working as a machinist between 1956 and 1990.

* The estate of Lois Nisi claims her mesothelioma developed as a result of asbestos exposure that occurred during her 48-year machinist career.

* Gloria LaBargage (California) claims she developed mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure that occurred after 1968.

* Roy Brown (Indiana), diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2007, claims his disease results from asbestos exposure during his work as a laborer between 1972 and 1974.

March 18

* John Barringer (Pennsylvania) was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2007 and claims it’s the result of exposure that may have occurred while in service to the US Navy or during his time as a computer manager in Pennsylvania.

* Dolores Joppa (Arkansas) claims her mesothelioma is the result of both primary and secondary asbestos exposure.

* The estate of Frederick Shuberg claims he died from mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure that occurred from 1964 during the deceased’s work as a technician.

* Lawrence Schmidt claims his colon cancer developed as a result working with asbestos during his work as a painter.

* The estate of Charles Lampin, Sr. claims his esophageal cancer occurred as a result of asbestos exposure.