Asbestos seems like a threat long since past. Most countries stopped using it in buildings by the 1990s and many have removed the dangerous substance in the years following. When the mesothelioma commercials flash across the screen, people don’t pay attention to the real threat of asbestos exposure. Residents of Canberra, Australia, deal with the […]
While exploring northwestern Montana in 1916, prospectors made a unique discovery in the mountains that would forever affect the people in the nearby town of Libby. This strange mineral was resistant to high heat and fire, making it ideal for construction materials. Mining began three years later of the vermiculite, called Zonolite by the early […]
Three men in California faced a choice- properly remove asbestos in their building or intentionally deceive workers to incorrectly complete the task for them. Rather than follow the right path of honesty, Patrick Bowman, Rudy Buendia II and Joseph Cuellar decided to endanger the lives of their helpers to save a few dollars. Under the […]
The ADAO’s “7 Facts for 7 Days” campaign today shares: “Asbestos fibers can be nearly 700 times smaller than human hair and are odorless, tasteless, indestructible fibers that can remain suspended in the air for seconds.” The tiny size of asbestos fibers means that many who worked with or near asbestos, had no idea they […]
The ADAO’s “7 Facts for 7 Days” campaign today shares: “Chrysotile asbestos accounts for nearly 95% of asbestos mined and exported today. In 2012, the top four asbestos producing countries were Russia, China, Brazil, and Kazakhstan.” The amount of asbestos imported into the US peaked in 1973. Despite sharp declines in the important of asbestos, […]
The ADAO’s “7 Facts for 7 Days” campaign today shares: “The World Health Organization estimates that 107,000 workers die annually from exposure to asbestos.” Thie fact is made all the more stark when you note that the WHO is only taking into account asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis in these estimates. From the “Asbestos: […]
The ADAO’s “7 Facts for 7 Days” campaign today shares: “Asbestos-caused diseases have a 10 – 50 year latency period from initial exposure to development of disease.” The long latency period (the time between the exposure to asbestos and disease progression) in asbestos disease has robbed many workers of their retirement years just as they […]
The ADAO’s “7 Facts for 7 Days” campaign today shares: “55 countries have banned asbestos, but the U.S. and Canada have not. In 2012 alone, the U.S. imported over 1,000 tons of asbestos.” The European Union, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand are among the 55 countries that have banned asbestos. More than a decade ago, […]
During National Asbestos Awareness Week, April 1-7, I urge Americans to learn about the dangers of asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs naturally in our environment; in rock and in soil. Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance, asbestos has traditionally been used in a variety of building construction materials, as […]
Nanofibres ‘may pose health risk’: Inhaling tiny fibres made by the nanotechnology industry could cause similar health problems to asbestos, say researchers. “Knowing the length beyond which the tiny fibres can cause disease is important in ensuring that safe fibres are made in the future as well as helping to understand the current risk from […]
Sodexho fined $81K for violations at W. Va. college Federal officials said Thursday they intend to fine Sodexho Inc. $81,000 for health and safety violations that occurred when workers were removing asbestos earlier this year at Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the violations were found during a March inspection, […]