Everyone should be aware of the risk of asbestos exposure after natural disasters. A tornado, hurricane, massive thunderstorm, earthquake, tsunami, or other natural disaster can damage or even level buildings and structures that contain asbestos, and it is the release of asbestos fibers into the air that presents a serious threat to individuals in the vicinity.
When Asbestos Is Disturbed in a Disaster
Asbestos is not harmful when it is left intact and in place. Thousands of products in our homes, office buildings, schools, libraries, theaters and other buildings contain asbestos components that are not putting anyone at risk ─ unless a natural disaster tears the building apart or knocks it down. This greatly increases the risk that the asbestos will be damaged and the fibers released into the air where they can be inhaled by humans.
Building Components with Asbestos
The building materials that can provide asbestos exposure after a natural disaster include:
Dealing with Asbestos after a Natural Disaster
When a natural disaster such as wildfires, hurricane or an earthquake has occurred, emergency personnel are often deployed to begin a debris management program. The federal, state and local governments each have a hand in the clean-up after a major natural disaster, and in the best-case scenario, the problem of what to do with hazardous waste is dealt with by trained professionals.
However, before the clean-up crews get to your area, you may be subjected to airborne asbestos. The natural disaster may have torn up, broken, or otherwise damaged parts of buildings that contained asbestos, and the microscopic-sized fibers that asbestos is made from may be floating in the air, without you even aware of it.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled by a human or animal, the fibers lodge themselves in the lungs, where they can initiate a disease process that culminates in asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium).
Who to Contact after a Disaster
To minimize asbestos exposure after a natural disaster, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that property owners seek the guidance of public health authorities and certified asbestos contractors. You can also learn more about dealing with asbestos after a natural disaster by contacting us today.