Asbestos clean up continues in US schools

As the US realizes its error of long asbestos use and attempts to correct the problems now rampant across the country, reminders consistently pop up to clarify the daunting height of such a task. Ridding the nation of just one toxic chemical could take exponentially longer than it took to spread it through homes, buildings and machinery across the country.

Smith Middle School of Chillicothe City Schools in Ohio is one such reminder. The schools facilities were closed in 2007 following the opening of a new school. Administrators are now considering all possibilities for the property’s future. Regardless of whether the school is rebuilt, sold, or razed, however, aged asbestos materials used in its original construction and remodels over the years must be removed.

Asbestos poses no threat if contained inside secure components. As an example among countless other things, many floor and ceiling tiles manufactured and installed in the US have been made with asbestos. As long as the tiles stay intact and undamaged, there is no safety or health risk. However, over time such materials begin to wear out, allowing the asbestos fibers to become airborne. This is particularly so in municipal buildings like schools where high traffic is an almost daily reality.

Smith middle School was built in 1931, well before asbestos health risks were known. It was not until the 1980’s that the US began to regulate use and removal of asbestos. The Environmental Protection Agency now outlines responsibilities regarding asbestos use in its Clean Air Act. Regulations are showing up around the world as asbestos proves its harmfulness again and again. The World Health Organization includes asbestos on its Type 1 carcinogen list along with arsenic.

Asbestos causes several respiratory conditions including asbestosis, lung cancer and the rare cancer mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is most associated with asbestos as its almost exclusive cause. Inhaled asbestos fibers can begin a mutation in lung lining cells that grow into characteristically irregularly patterned malignant tumors of mesothelioma. There are mesothelioma treatments available—surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy among them—which directly attack the cancer. Many mesothelioma patients are choosing palliative treatments which focuses on quality of life and pain management, as there is no known cure for mesothelioma and it’s prognosis includes a short life expectancy.

Chillicothe City Schools have received a grant for $200,000, which will offset the total costs of $250,000 to have asbestos safely removed from Smith Middle School. These funds were awarded form the Ohio Department of Development as part of the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 at 7:59 AM and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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Japan continues to experience high mesothelioma losses

An estimated three thousand Americans die every year from the rare cancer mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is caused almost solely by asbestos and although there are many mesothelioma treatments available, there is no known cure. These cases are mostly associated with workplace asbestos exposure, particularly in such manufacturing industries as shipbuilding and munitions.

Although American mesothelioma case numbers may be on a slow rise, they are no match for the mesothelioma toll in Japan. It is thought that 100,000 Japanese will die from mesothelioma by 2040. This has much to do with the nation’s heavy use of asbestos following WWII and in decades since. In 1974 alone 350,000 metric tons of asbestos was imported by Japan for use in industry and building projects. Asbestos is said to be the foundation on which Japan rebuilt its nation following the war. Slow implementation of national asbestos health regulations has added to Japanese mesothelioma case numbers.

Hidenari Hane is one man who knows what this can mean. Recently diagnosed with mesothelioma, Hane was exposed to asbestos during his employment at a Honda facility. A former mechanic at Honda, Hane was regularly exposed to asbestos from April 1968 to December 1969, which is believed to be the cause of his mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is characterized by irregularly patterned tumors on the lung lining and lining of the abdominal cavities. It can be difficult to diagnose, often being mistaken for pneumonia. Many patients do not know to look for mesothelioma because they have no idea they were ever exposed to asbestos and have no cause for concern. Following diagnosis, life expectancy ranges from six months to several years.

A Tokyo court ruled in favor of Hane in a suit against Honda, awarding him 54 million yen. Ruling Judge Koichiro Matsumoto is holding Honda accountable for not having safety precautions implemented during the 1960’s. He said, “The risks of being exposed to asbestos had been known by the time the pneumoconiosis law was enacted in 1960 at the latest, and a major company like Honda should have been fully aware of the risks and the damages at the factory were foreseeable.” He said Honda should have had respiratory protection provided for employees working with asbestos while eliminating all unnecessary asbestos exposure.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 6:40 AM and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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EPA continues to uncover asbestos infractions

Marco Island residents want to know what the effects of a recently mishandled large scale asbestos abatement project are going to be on their community. So far, they haven’t received any direct answers. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has slapped the city as well as the contractor responsible for the project, a highway reconstruction project, with six separate asbestos safe handling regulation violations.

The EPA’s involvement came as a result of an anonymous tip-off, that as of yet has not been confirmed. Among the violations cited are the failure to remove asbestos materials before a demolition effort, the failure to properly dispose of contaminated materials, and a failure to have the work site thoroughly inspected for toxic materials. Astoundingly, the contractor responsible for the vast majority of the project is also being accused of failing to have any toxic substance professionals involved in the project at all, a violation that seems outright sloppy in today’s industrial atmosphere.

While the EPA’s claims thus far appear somewhat vague and haven’t been followed up decisively, asbestos contamination is something worth worrying about. Microscopic asbestos fibers have been conclusively linked with several respiratory conditions and several different forms of cancer, including a particularly aggressive cancer of the lining of the lungs known as mesothelioma.

The asbestos in question was present at the Marcos Island Collier Boulevard work site in the form of a strengthening additive to cement piping. Quality Enterprises, the primary contractor for the highway rebuilding contract, allegedly broke up asbestos containing cement pipe and left it exposed without any sort of testing beforehand or containment measure afterwards.

Large scale asbestos exposure issues are becoming more and more commonplace. The problem does’t lie with increasingly sloppy or sly contractors as much as with increased efforts from the EPA to collect information about asbestos related projects and crack down on violators. While state and federal regulations are fairly strict on paper, the EPA’s ability to follow up with real world audits is limited to its comparatively tiny staff allocated for such projects. At present, a virtually insignificant amount of potentially hazardous projects are actually audited for proper adherence to safety regulations.

While incidents such as the Marco Island Collier Boulevard project may seem sporadically uncovered and ill-handled, they may be the kind of stimulus the EPA needs to step up its game.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 17th, 2010 at 6:35 PM and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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