Wildfire Season Is Asbestos Danger Season

… All That Smoke Probably Contains Plenty Of The Ugly Stuff

You know what’s really funny?  The names these pharmaceutical companies give the drugs they relentlessly push in late-night TV ads.

You know what’s really NOT funny?  The increased risk of deadly mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from massive wildfires, like the ones that struck southern California earlier this year.

Let’s start with the funny stuff.  You can imagine the big meeting of the pharmaceutical company’s marketing staff, where the VP says, “Okay, I’d like to have my lovely assistant reach into this bag of Scrabble tiles, grab a handful, and toss them on the conference table here.”

She does.

“Okay, it looks like we’re gonna name our new drug IZ RISKY.”

“Uh, Sir?” says the sheepish young intern with the thick glasses.  “Don’t you think that’s a bad name for a drug?  Maybe if we rearrange the letters a little…”.

“Okay, fine,” grumps the VP.  “You do it.”

And SKYRIZY is born.  Maybe.

One important note:  This is a made up scenario, and may have nothing whatsoever to do with how they came up with this name.  But it is funny.  Am I right?

And now, an even more important note: You do NOT want to inhale airborne asbestos, and your chance of being around this poisonous stuff is increased if your place is anywhere near a wildfire which has wiped out neighboring homes and businesses.

What’s the big deal, you ask?  Well, prolonged exposure to airborne asbestos, which is microscopic and can’t be detected by any of your senses, is known to cause the aforementioned deadly diseases.

The cause of these diseases – airborne asbestos – is definitely known.  What is not known is ANY type of cure for these diseases.  So that’s why you don’t want to have that ugly stuff in your world.

But speaking of your world, it’s FULL of asbestos.  Now, asbestos is basically a rock, and it’s used in the manufacture of many products, including many of the materials that were used to build those neighboring homes and business buildings.  In its solid, manufactured state, it’s not dangerous.

But when those products are disturbed, such as by a massive wildfire, the asbestos breaks into tiny microscopic shards that impale themselves in your lungs over time.

For this reason, asbestos was outlawed for a hot minute, several years ago.  It’s being outlawed again, sort-of… but in the meantime, it was perfectly legal to import asbestos-laden products into the U.S., and for many decades it was legal to build with such products.

Ceiling tiles… floor tiles… plumbing insulation… wall boards… wall and ceiling insulation… tons and tons of asbestos-containing materials have now gone up in smoke in the Los Angeles area, and all that smoke contains – among other nasty things – microscopic shards of asbestos.

Even after the fires are contained, and rains wash away the nasty toxic ashes from these edifices, eventually that stuff will dry out again wherever it gets washed, and then the wind will kick up, and then it will become a cloud of toxic dust again.

So even if you’re not right near a wildfire, you could eventually end up with a problem at your place.

Even if you’re nowhere near a wildfire, the asbestos in your building (or a neighboring building) can be disturbed by so much as a small house fire, or a plumbing leak, or a DIY project gone bad.

The answer?  Get your place professionally tested, and if there’s a problem, get it abated.  But don’t ignore the threat, if you suspect you might have airborne asbestos.

We can refer you to a top-notch testing company.  (We don’t do asbestos testing ourselves – it’s a conflict of interest.)  And if you have an asbestos problem, we can dispatch a team of highly-qualified, well-equipped, disarmingly-attractive abatement experts to your place.  They’ll keep at it until your air is asbestos free.  It will probably cost less than you imagine.  And it could help you live longer!