Unexpected Sources of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos Exposure in the Home
Asbestos was widely used in construction materials in buildings, including residential homes, through the 1970s. Though asbestos is not harmful when left alone, if the asbestos-containing materials in the home are disturbed, typically when a homeowner decides to remodel his or her home, asbestos fibers can become airborne. Even though asbestos fibers are invisible to the naked eye, its fibers may be in the air. And when asbestos comes in contact with people, it can be ingested and become logged in a person’s lungs, in the sac surrounding their heart or abdomen.
Even though there are not many any immediate symptoms of asbestos exposure, asbestos cancers, such as mesothelioma, can develop decades later from exposure to asbestos, even from an exposure as innocent as home renovation.
If you think there might be asbestos in your home, make sure you have your home tested before performing any kind of renovation. If asbestos is discovered, there are proven methods for proper removal of the cancer-causing fibers. You can find out more about asbestos removal here.
Looking for more information on asbestos exposure? Click here to view our Asbestos 101 brochure.
Non-traditional Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Sometimes people were exposed to asbestos through even though they never saw it or thought about it. Teachers, nurses, secretaries and salesmen, for example, have developed mesothelioma because they worked in a facility where asbestos products were installed or removed during construction or remodeling. A secretary or salesman may have visited a plant area where asbestos was in use.
These people, who would never have considered themselves asbestos workers, were also at risk for developing mesothelioma because, as scientists have warned, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. And the students, patients or visitors to these public spaces may also have been exposed to asbestos.
Asbestos Exposure during Natural Disasters
Asbestos can also compound the damages and the health risk of a natural disaster. Fires, floods, tornados and earthquakes tear apart structures and can release any asbestos inside. Rescue workers, like firefighters or other first responders, can be exposed to the fibers as they do their work.
As fire exposes asbestos-containing materials in a building, the strong drafts can pick up asbestos fibers and shoot them into the air, where they can travel and remain suspended for days. The presence of asbestos and other hazardous materials in fire debris can complicate the clean up significantly. Asbestos-containing materials require very careful handling and disposal to avoid dangerous exposures, and many residents and cleanup volunteers don’t have the knowledge or equipment to handle the problem safely.
Tornados and hurricanes tear buildings apart, releasing asbestos, commonly used in roofing and other construction materials, into the air. After a large disaster like Hurricane Katrina, the shear scope of asbestos-containing debris can overwhelm cleanup efforts and available disposal sites. See related story. And the extent of the asbestos risk may be not known or fully disclosed at the time. Some critics argue that the EPA misled the public about the risk of exposure to asbestos and other toxins after the 9/11 bombing. See related story.
