Think Asbestos Is Illegal In The U.S.? April Fools!
… Dangerous Asbestos Is Still All Around Us. No Joke!
It’s just super funny to pull April Fools jokes on people you know and love, like your family, your spouse, your best friends, your co-workers, and your primary care physician:
“That woman, Honey? Heh heh, she means nothing to me. Wait: April Fools!”
“Yes, I know I told you I’d take that shift so you can go on your expensive pre-paid vacation… but… April Fools!”
“Hey Kids! We’re going to the Robot Mouse Band Pizza Parlor for fun and games tonight, and… no, wait, we’re having leftover casserole and watching Forensic Files again. April Fools!”
“No, of course, I don’t smoke more than two packs a day, and in fact, I’ve never smoked. Wait… April Fools, Doc!”
“Oh, you thought I was paying for the drinks, just because I said I would? Ha HA! April Fools!”
Yes, nothing but non-stop hilarity, those April Fools jokes. Silly. Harmless. Nobody gets hurt, and everybody has a fun laugh, right?
It’s all fun and games, that is, until someone gets incurable mesothelioma or asbestosis.
If somebody told you that asbestos is illegal in the United States, don’t wait for them to holler “April Fools.” Because that’s one joke that isn’t funny at all.
It all started “back in the day,” when the world was in black-and-white and people did foolish things like smoke in bed. After many people died in avoidable house fires, someone came up with the brilliant idea of making everything from wall boards to electric blankets with non-flammable asbestos.
Funny thing, though, ha ha, if you have a house fire and those asbestos-containing materials go up in smoke, the smoke likely contains microscopic shards of the ugly rock known as asbestos, and that’s not funny at all.
Since they’re microscopic, you can’t see, hear, smell, taste, or feel those shards in the air, but after prolonged exposure, they can impale themselves in your lungs and cause diseases which can require you to get your affairs in order. Not such an uproariously laughing matter.
Once enough people contracted these diseases, an effort was made to ban asbestos in America. For one hot minute, comparatively speaking, asbestos WAS illegal. But then the lobbyists stepped in. It’s still illegal to mine asbestos or manufacture with it in the U.S., but it’s perfectly legal to import it.
As a result, tons of products containing asbestos arrive on our shores annually. It’s all around us, in everything from building materials to your teenage daughter’s faux jewelry and your talcum-containing powdered make-up. No joke!
It’s not dangerous when it’s in a solid, manufactured state (which that make-up never is – throw it out!). But if the product is “disturbed,” by a house fire, a flood in the basement, or a bad DIY project, well, April Fools! You have airborne asbestos, and that’s not funny.
Asbestos is mostly LEGAL, and there’s nothing funny about airborne asbestos. If you think you might have a problem, reach out to your friends at Asbestos Abatement, Inc. We don’t test for asbestos, since that’s a conflict of interest, but we’ll refer you to a reputable tester. If you do have a problem, we’ll bring our state-of-the-art equipment and keep at it until your air is asbestos free. And that’s certainly no joke!
