The tornadoes that ravaged Alabama destroyed many buildings as they made their way across the state. Many of the buildings destroyed were older and the danger of coming on contact with asbestos is probable as people sift through the ruble.
“The likelihood is probably pretty high. Asbestos is a pretty common material in older homes and buildings so it’s going to be there”, commented Craig Tucker of the Jefferson County Health Department. He also stated that at this time the danger wasn’t very high but as more of the materials from the destruction are disturbed, asbestos fibers could become airborne.
Inhaling the asbestos particles can have very detrimental effects to person’s respiratory health. Individuals working on the clean-up are encouraged to take precautions by wearing face masks with double HEPA filters. Areas throughout Alabama have been tested for asbestos and thus far no significant amounts have been detected but the danger is still there.
Asbestos is a toxic mineral that has fire resistant properties so it was commonly used in older buildings. The EPA began regulating the use of asbestos in the late 80’s, but many places still contain asbestos.
Asbestos is known to cause many respiratory problems and the most dangerous one is mesothelioma which causes tumor growth on the linings of internal organs. Patients suffering from mesothelioma require extensive medical care which may necessitate a mesothelioma attorney to gain compensation to pay their healthcare costs.
The widespread use of asbestos will cause more cases of mesothelioma in the future as the disease takes decades to manifest in an individual. The victims of asbestos exposure are encouraged to retain a mesothelioma lawyer to obtain compensatory damages for their care.
