Unfortunately, the mineral has one less-desirable quality – its ability to shatter into microscopic fibers. When asbestos fibers are disturbed or damaged, they can become airborne. Once airborne, these fibers can be inhaled and become permanently lodged in your respiratory airways and lung tissue. Continuous exposure to these fibers results in buildup in your lungs, which increases your risk for asbestos-related diseases.

In the past century, there have been tens of thousands of chronic respiratory conditions that can be traced directly to prolonged asbestos exposure. Approximately 12,000 people in the U.S. die each year from mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and several other asbestos-related illnesses.

A common misconception about asbestos is that due to its potentially hazardous effects, it is entirely banned in the U.S. While it is true that in 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency outlawed asbestos in the U.S. due to its harmful qualities, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ban in 1991. The mineral is still used today in a variety of products, including residential roofing, floor and ceiling tiles, and pipe wrap.

To the untrained eye, it is difficult to tell if a material contains asbestos just by looking at it. Regardless of when your home, apartment or office was built, there is still a possibility it could have asbestos-containing materials.

Since asbestos can still be used in construction products in the U.S., the only way to know for sure whether a material contains asbestos is to have it tested by a laboratory. If you are planning to remove a wall, ceiling or floor, you should have the material tested for asbestos. Call Asbestos Abatement Inc. at 303-794-4450 today to schedule testing or abatement services and to keep your lungs asbestos free.

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One particular story has been getting a lot of attention. The Animas River, which runs through Colorado and New Mexico, was once a popular destination for white water rafting enthusiasts and the source of pristine drinking water to area residents. However, today, it has become a contaminated body of water, thanks to an accidental breach in a dam that contained heavy metals used for the defunct Gold King Mine not too far from Silverton, Colorado. This resulted to 3 million gallons of toxic waste spewing into the Animas and San Juan rivers, turning them a sickly yellow-orange color. This story has shed light on the fact that there are thousands and thousands of abandoned mines in the Western US, many of which contain harmful substances like asbestos, arsenic, mercury, cyanide and cadmium.

Also in the news is a Denver medical center that was found to be contaminated with asbestos. During an inspection performed earlier this summer on the roof of one of the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus satellite buildings, a potential asbestos-containing material was found. The contamination was confirmed after followup testing was performed on the fire-proofing spray that was placed on overhead spaces on the first floor of the building.

Even the nation’s most important buildings sometimes have asbestos scares. Recently, the Capitol building’s House chamber in Washington D.C. was shut down for an entire day after a suspicious substance was discovered behind a wall during a renovation project. Testing later confirmed that the area was safe, but the quick and decisive response was the right move.

Don’t Risk Your Health!

If you believe your property may contain a threat, you should act with the same level of caution exhibited by the officials in Washington. To learn more about Denver asbestos removal services, contact Asbestos Abatement today!

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Before I met Frank, my knowledge of mesothelioma was restricted to the half-minute ad spots between old Jeopardy reruns that all seemed to be bought by hordes of law firms with tough-sounding names. Frank and I always watched Jeopardy together in his assisted living community and he always knew the answers to the most obscure trivia, a glint in his eye when he knew the Final Jeopardy answer I didn’t. Mesothelioma was to me, before the diagnosis, just another long word; another disease that seemed so foreign and ethereal. After the diagnosis, it was the scariest word in my vocabulary.

Frank had been complaining of tightness and difficulty breathing for weeks, but I figured it was just the cold snap we were having. Frank’s children were grown and lived across the country, so I took him to the hospital and we watched Trebek shake the hands of the winning contestant on the silent monitor as we waited for his doctor to give him his examination. Later that night, Frank called me to tell me the doctor had ordered an x-ray. I was surprised but Frank, with his characteristic Navy gruffness, said he wasn’t worried and asked if I’d give him a ride.

I was in class when I got the call. Frank would never call me during class saying, “You need to be in class in case you get a clue you can use in Jeopardy”, laughing with his eyes. I instantly knew something was the matter. He sounded so distant, so small. He said the doctor had seen something in his lungs, that they’d scheduled a biopsy for later that week, and if I would mind giving him a ride. The next few days were a blur. I thought the not knowing was the worst part, I know that it killed him to be so out of the loop. Honestly, it was not.

When Frank spoke the words, “pleural mesothelioma” I was relieved. Finally, we had an answer and could begin to tackle the disease. That night I did what any good Jeopardy contestant would do, I looked up as much as I could on mesothelioma on the internet. I will never forget the way I felt that night as I read; the deeper I investigated, the deeper the pit in my stomach grew. I wanted to run, I wanted to get away somehow, it was the first time I encountered despair.

Mesothelioma is a paradox. It is an extremely rare cancer caused by an extremely common material, asbestos, naturally occurring fibrous minerals found in certain types of rock formations. Asbestos has been used by humanity for decades because it is fire resistant and impervious to the elements; the ancient Egyptians even used it to wrap their mummies. It was this same material that was in my best friends’ lungs, suffocating him as it threatened to sarcophagize him. I remember looking up the asbestos molecules and seeing what looked like a cluster of tiny crystals, beautiful and deadly barbs that I knew were responsible for Frank’s condition. My mental anguish intensified as I saw that online there were mostly only support groups for mesothelioma and not a lot of treatments.

The median 5-year survival rate of people with mesothelioma is 5% according to the NIH SEER program. I couldn’t grasp this then, and I still can’t grasp it now. How do you measure 5% of a life? If you took 5% of all the laughs he shared, 5% of all the old Navy stories he had, 5% of every Jeopardy question he answered it’s still not enough to convey the magnitude of his being. I got very sad thinking about my friend’s fate.

Then, I got angry. Why him? Where did it come from? How was he exposed?

Asbestos in the United States has a long and troubling history. Since the industrial revolution and the advent of mechanized mining of asbestos, asbestos has been used in many commercial applications like insulation for pipes, wiring, and buildings. When the United States started taking a position as a world power, it increased its dependence on this deadly material. Hundreds of tons were used to insulate ships, war planes, and command centers throughout our history of conflicts from WWI to Vietnam. Asbestos activity is not limited to our activities abroad, it has been used in roofing, housing insulation, maybe even the very ceiling tiles over your head right now.  Asbestos is everywhere and it is deadly. As for Frank, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never know where he was exposed. He was in Vietnam, but he also came home to work in construction, both very high risk occupational areas as far as asbestos exposure is concerned.

Frank was diagnosed with stage IV pleural mesothelioma and given only a year to live. He didn’t make it, but he fought hard. I remember when I asked him what he was going to do about it he told me he was going to play it like Final Jeopardy, “Wager big, and hope to God I know the answer.” He did wager big. He took on very heavy chemotherapy to try to kill the cancer. Towards the end of his life, through exhausting treatments, crippling nausea, and incredible wasting we would share his jell-o cups and sit in his room watching Jeopardy. As I looked over at him, too tired to get out of bed or even eat, I could still see that incredible mind at work and see that same glint in his eye as he answered Final Jeopardy. This is how I choose to remember him.

You can also read this story here: http://www.mesotheliomahelp.org/scholarship-contest/frank/

Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control. “Health Effects of Asbestos.” ATSDR. Centers for Disease Control. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. <http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/asbestos/health_effects/>.

“Education.” ADAO Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/education>.

EPA. “Asbestos.” Asbestos. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. <http://www2.epa.gov/asbestos>.

“History of Asbestos.” Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/history/>.

The Lancet. “Asbestos-related Disease: A Preventable Burden.” Asbestos Related Disease:a Preventable Burden. The Lancet. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%252808%252961821-8/fulltext>.

National Institutes of Health. “Asbestos: MedlinePlus.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asbestos.html>.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Asbestos Fact Sheet. OSHA. OSHA Asbestos Fact Sheet. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3507.pdf>.

Spirtas, Robert, Roger R. Connelly, and Margaret A. Tucker. “Survival Patterns for Malignant Mesothelioma: The Seer Experience.” International Journal of Cancer 41.4 (1988): 525-30. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.

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According to the Huntington Beach Independent, at least two elementary school campuses in Huntington Beach were closed earlier this week so that asbestos testing could be performed. The newspaper reported that there are plans to carry out testing at all schools in the district.

Parents of children at the affected schools were first made aware of the issue after a district trustee filed an OSHA complaint stemming from concerns he had about the way asbestos was being removed from the schools as part of a modernization effort. Investigations are underway to determine if contractors were still removing asbestos after the school year began and children were present.

School district authorities have maintained that local schools are 100 percent safe, but parents are looking for assurances. The week before the closures, more than 100 people gathered at a community meeting to voice concerns and ask questions.

If you need asbestos testing in Denver, you can contact the experienced professionals at Asbestos Abatement, Inc. by calling 303-794-4450. We have experience testing for and removing asbestos threats in schools, offices, apartment complexes, and many other types of at-risk buildings.

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As reported by CBS4 in Denver, the Weiners were afraid to even let their family members help them move. They didn’t want to risk exposing their loved ones to a carcinogen.

After asbestos abatement services were called in, testing of the apartment building revealed that there were dangerous levels of the cancer-causing substance. It was detected in a few different units within the building, which prompted several tenants to move out.

According to the Denver Department of Environmental Health, the asbestos fibers were released as construction workers began ripping out some fiberboard from the paneling on windows. The CBS4 story says witnesses reported that the workers were not wearing protective masks at the time of the incident.

This is a very serious incident that underscores the importance of asbestos testing in Denver. Many buildings still contain this toxic and dangerous substance. Proper testing procedures can protect people like Steve, Kim, and these construction workers from unnecessary exposure.

If you own, live in, or work in a building that you fear may contain asbestos, call 303-794-4450 to speak with the professionals at Asbestos Abatement Inc.

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According to reports, the House of Representatives portion of the U.S. Capitol building was shut down early in the morning on Thursday, July 10 due to an asbestos-related incident. All House employees, including lawmakers and aides, were told not to enter the premises until further notice.

Architect of the Capitol (AOC), the office responsible for a multi-million dollar renovation of the Capitol Dome, said in a statement that there was a “potential release” of toxic material during an asbestos removal project that was underway on the fourth floor of the building. Shutting down a portion of the Capitol was necessary to give inspectors time to take samples and determine the severity of the exposure.

The removal work taking place on the fourth floor was just one of the asbestos related projects currently underway at the Capitol, according to the AOC. That such an incident took place in one of the most revered buildings in America underlines the fact that asbestos can affect anyone.

While the Capitol was quickly reopened and business was back to usual, this could have been a very serious incident. It appears the proper authorities handled the situation correctly in this case. Otherwise, many people’s lives could have been endangered and important political business could have been delayed.

If you are concerned about a potential asbestos hazard with your home or commercial property, it is highly recommended that you hire a licensed, professional team to complete the necessary testing. Selecting the right company for asbestos testing is easy. Contact the experienced and skilled team at Asbestos Abatement, Inc. for all of your asbestos removal in Denver.

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Currently, the United States isn’t one of them. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 2.3 million pounds came into the United States from Brazil. It was stated that based on current trends, the consumption of asbestos by the United States is likely to remain near the 1,000 ton level.

Although asbestos at its height was used during the industrial revolution in the United States, it is still being used widely today. Contact us today for asbestos removal in Denver for your home or commercial property that you suspect may contain asbestos.

Article Source:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/04/04/12434/us-asbestos-imports-condemned-health-experts-activists

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Exposure to asbestos can cause a variety of serious respiratory problems such as asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer. There is no amount of asbestos exposure that is scientifically considered to be safe. You can read more about the story at the link below.

Source:
http://www.asbestos.com/news/2013/01/11/ohio-school-facing-serious-charges-after-students-were-used-to-haul-away-asbestos-materials/

Asbestos Abatement, Inc. is here to help throughout the Colorado area to ensure that your home or building is safe from hazards such as asbestos, mold, lead and other harmful materials. Think safety first and contact us for asbestos removal in Denver.

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There is no “safe” asbestos. All kinds of asbestos can kill and it is a proven scientific fact. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that more than 100,000 people die every year from asbestos related diseases, mesothelioma being one of the leading ones.

Asbestos Abatement, Inc. is dedicated to helping you keep your home or business asbestos free as well as removal of other harmful materials such as lead and mold. Contact us today for asbestos removal in Colorado.

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