Asbestos-Related Deaths Up 39
jlowery writes "Seems that asbestos deaths have skyrocketed recently, which isn't suprising one you learn that it takes 40-45 years after exposure for peak deaths to occur. Reminds me of the time 25 years ago me and Dad were replacing the brakes on my old Datsun 510 and blew out the brake residue with compressed air. Dusty."
They haven't "skyrocketed recently" (Score:5, Informative)
The article says: Asbestos-related deaths have increased fourfold in the past three decades, according to a new CDC report.
Three decades is not recent and fourfold over 3 decades is not a skyrocket.
Lung cancer from asbestos is no joke. I lost my father-in-law to it and my grandfather to blacklung. Report the news, but report it honestly.
Re:Asbestosis and smoking (Score:3, Informative)
Wow, is this timely, or what? (Score:3, Informative)
The epa has a pretty good section [epa.gov] devoted to it. I also found The Asbestos Tragedy [bu.edu] to be enlightening and more than a bit disturbing.
Asbestos, the state rock of California, is a mineral fiber. It's a rock that can be woven into fabric. It's very strong, chemically resistant, and fireproof. Being a natural substance, it's around us all the time and is part of the environment - as the rocks erode, the dust containing asbestos fibers are picked up by wind. (When an asbestos containing product is releasing fibers, it's termed friable).
It was used in a wide variety of household materials for decades. Things like heating system insulaton, vinyl/asphalt/rubber tiles, vinyl floor backing and adhesives, joint compounds, texturized paint, stove-top pads, oven mits, etc.. It was even used as stage curtains in theaters because of it's resistance to flame.
If it's in good condition (non-friable), meaning not cracking, crumbling, on an impact surface or otherwise releasing dust, then it's usually harmless if left alone. If it's friable though there are two methods for taking care of it - encapsulation (which is a temporary solution and must be maintained) and removal. Most states specify that only a licensed contractor or homeowner (friends and relatives can help, but cannot be paid, and all regulations must be followed) can deal with it.
When exposed to asbestos it will usually be caught by the mucus in the lining of your nose, mouth, and throat. This eventually gets swallowed (or hacked up I suppose). What's swallowed passes through you and winds up passing through and out of your digestive tract.
All it takes however is a single asbestos fiber to get past that defense system and get trapped in your lungs to potentially cause cancer. But like most cancers it's hit or miss who will be affected.
Oh, remember that part about it being a naturally occuring substance? It is quite possible that you could be exposed just by breathing fresh clean air.
The worst part is that it takes 20-40 years for any signs to show up, there's no way to test for it besides using x-rays to see if there's visibly damaged lung tissue, and there's no treatment. Our house inspector has had 3 friends die in the past 5 years or so due to asbestos.
Which brings me back to the house I'm buying - we found obvious asbestos insulation on the old radiator heating system under the house. The seller is going to have professionally removed (licensed asbestos contractor).
But there may still be asbestos lurking in other places. The texturized ceilings in a few rooms will have to have tested (the current owners have had the place ~10 years, and don't know exactly when it was painted) for both asbestos and lead before we do anything with them. Testing runs about $25-50 per sample.
Lead paint is much much easier to deal with. Blood levels can be monitored, encapsulation products are easy to apply (special paint,kinda pricey but much cheaper than abatement), and for wood surfaces the newer soy gel paint strippers make it much safer for do-it-yourselfers.
Basically we're going to have to be very careful and meticulus about any work we decide to do or have done to make sure our home is safe.