A decaying feed store in Laurel, MS recently caught fire, but no action was taken to protect townspeople from resulting asbestos debris. As a result of the negligence of the authorities in ignoring the dangers presented by the conflagration, residents of Laurel have been left furious. They believe that not much has been done to stop the spread of asbestos from the debris.
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The popular Miami Science Museum has been temporarily closed down after the discovery of a particular type of asbestos in an insulation sample taken from a mechanical room in the museum’s planetarium.
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A recent report from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that 37 bags of asbestos were dumped in a vacant home at Lagrange Street and 23 such bags were dropped in the Eastern part of Toledo, Ohio. Both places where the bags were dumped are working class neighborhoods. The bags are believed to have been dropped by the same individuals at both the spots.
The bags dropped at Lagrange Street were found in a vacant house while the ones dropped in East Toledo were found on St. Louis Street, near a garage, in an alley. An investigation to find the dumpers is ongoing, but it is being believed that the waste came from a big building complex that used asbestos as an insulating material. There was too much waste dumped to have come from one city home.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has joined forces with law enforcement officials in the area and is looking forward to making some arrests in the case. The penalty for the dumpers can be monetary or criminal in nature. The criminals may also have to serve a jail term as dumping asbestos is a serious violation of environmental law.
Asbestos is a natural fiber, which if inhaled or ingested, can cause fatal diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and even mesothelioma. Asbestos has been banned from use in construction though there are still many buildings which had incorporated asbestos when originally built. Demolition and renovation of buildings cause asbestos to become airborne and exposure to this substance can result in deadly diseases with a long latency period. Thus, removal of asbestos from such buildings is highly regulated and should only be performed by professionals. Awareness of the dangerous effects of improperly handled asbestos is critical and thus those who have dumped the asbestos need to be punished.
A follow-up study is to be conducted on a group of 600 people who, a decade ago, were part of a health screening in Libby, Montana. These people, age 10-19 at the time of the study, were exposed to Libby amphibole asbestos when still young. The study aims to determine potential effects of early asbestos exposure on such people.
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Re-inspection of the buildings contaminated with asbestos in Portsmouth, New Hampshire is to be conducted this month. As per the regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos contaminated buildings need to be re-inspected every three years. Qualified and certified asbestos inspectors will conduct the inspection. After the results are analyzed by management planners, recommendations will be given to the city so that the buildings contaminated with asbestos can be managed safely and efficiently.
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Asbestos cleanup has been started at two prisons following the discovery of toxic asbestos in buildings system wide, during a Kansas state prisons audit. The audit was performed in the prisons at Ellsworth, El Dorado, Larned, Stockton, Norton, Hutchinson, Lansing, Winfield, Wichita and Topeka. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criticized the situation in which asbestos was poorly handled in a Topeka prison earlier this year and was of the view that the state has not reacted well on the issue. Taking these comments of the EPA in consideration, the Kansas Department of Corrections spent a total of $170,000 on the assessment of floor tiles, ceiling material, pipe insulation and other materials in state prisons.
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Three years ago, during a training session, a number of firefighters from Everett, Washington were exposed to asbestos. They have now filed a multimillion dollar case against the city. The case was filed just last month by those firefighters taking part in the training and their spouses. They demand a whopping sum of $9 million from the city. A lawsuit may soon be brought against the city of Everett.
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On Tuesday, August 11, a trailer carrying 20 tons of asbestos was stolen from Willshee’s Waste Management (Glensyl Way, Burton UK) and now the police fear that this can lead to a public health scare if the waste is dumped somewhere. Burton locals have been alerted to call a disposal team if they spot the truck or the waste lying anywhere. The thieves hooked up the trailer full of asbestos to a white Scania tractor after driving into the depot that belongs to Willshee’s Waste Management.
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A congressional delegation from the state of Montana is pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for assurance that the government will not leave the town of Libby before the ongoing asbestos cleanup effort there is complete.
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According to asbestos experts, asbestos could become the cause of millions of deaths by 2030. Exposure to asbestos causes life-threatening conditions, such as lung scarring, lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma, among others. Notwithstanding the health concerns associated with this toxic mineral, the worldwide industrial use of asbestos continues.
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