Pinal County, Arizona, to Hold Free Asbestos Safety Seminar

Reduction of mesothelioma risk

On Friday, October 16, the Pinal County Air Quality Control District and the Environmental Information Association - a non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of environmental information - are holding a free asbestos safety seminar for construction firms and interested parties.

The seminar's aim is to make remodeling firms, building contractors and others aware of the dangers of asbestos, which was widely used during most the last century in a wide range of building products, from insulation to sound-proofing, as well as floor tiles, caulks and mastics, or adhesives.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral, and the fibers - released from material that is broken or decaying with age - can become airborne. Once in the air, they can be inhaled or ingested, and cause lesions that lead to cancers of the lungs and digestive system.

The worst (and most common) of these cancers is pleural mesothelioma, an often fatal cancer of the mesothelial lining around the lungs which has a long onset (up to five decades) and which, when finally diagnosed because symptoms become too severe to ignore, involves so much vital tissue that doctors usually provide a prognosis of between one year and 18 months to live. In less than 10 percent of cases, and usually as a result of aggressive treatments like surgery and dual chemotherapy, patients have been known to survive up to five years.

Asbestos was largely banned from domestic products in 1989 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which limited their use to one percent by weight or volume. However, the burden of asbestos remaining in many older American buildings has created a situation where even a (2005, proposed) $140 billion trust fund might not cover all the asbestos diseases accumulating.

According to some experts, mesothelioma kills an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Americans annually; the exact number can't be calculated because the U.S., unlike many countries, doesn't have a nationwide registry.

The Pinal County program, to be held in Casa Grande by reservation only, is one solution to the problem, offering information on federal and state mandates surrounding asbestos removal and remediation. These include removal protocols, air quality sampling, dust control requirements to prevent the dispersal of asbestos particles, and safe handling and disposal methods.

Other programs in the state include the mandated five seminars to be held by Arizona State University (ASU) at various campuses as a result of its 11 air-quality violations incurred in 2006. The seminars represent 25 percent of the fine assessed against ASU by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department for improper asbestos removal on campus.

Two contractors involved in the project were fined a combined $23,000, and the 2006 violation is, according to ASU spokeswoman, Terri Shafer, a good lesson in how easy it is to trigger a safety hazard as a result of miscommunication, lack of understanding or lack of training in proper asbestos remediation procedures.

All the asbestos may never be removed from the nation's landscape, but knowing how to handle it to prevent future injury or illness is more than half the battle.

Sources: Allbusiness.com, InMaricopa.com

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