Flooding in North Dakota leaves residents vulnerable to exposure to asbestos

Flood waters have receded and assistance, but remains hidden danger — though silent and slow — in places like Minot, North Dakota.

North Dakota Health Department warns residents and those volunteers who come this week to help with the cleanup that the presence of asbestos and the risks it poses should not be taken lightly.

Catastrophic flood, whose costs have reached approximately $ 1 billion for the entire territory of the State, left the bulk of the project, which includes gutting homes and businesses before beginning the recovery.

Cleanup, especially for structures built before 1990 can be harmful for those who are nearby, unless appropriate precautions are taken.  Officials issued a warning in late July after viewing asbestos-laced rubble remain curbside inhabitants.

The most obvious is the isolation of vermiculite, haphazardly radiator attics and walls that were affected by flooding. Asbestos also prevails within the flooring, duct work, framed walls and concrete blocks.

Exposure to asbestos fibers, which are microscopic and frequently inhaled, can lead to mesothelioma cancer, whose symptoms can lay dormant for 50 years before becoming a problem.

According to a press release from the North Dakota Department of health, a large part of vermiculite are taken from the mines in Libby, Montana, which were closed in 1990 after there were many cases of exposure to asbestos.

Warning, which was supported by the environmental protection agency, urges residents to enjoy professional contractors who have the knowledge and equipment for the safe disposal of asbestos. Licensed professionals to combat pollution requires only commercial buildings and multi-family residential buildings of four or more units.

Residents of single-family homes are able to do this job themselves, which can be dangerous. Asbestos becomes especially difficult when he begins to crumble, Fry, tear or becomes fragile.

According to the Bismarck Tribune more than 4000 houses were flooded in the Minot, mainly from the Souris River, which flows from Canada to the North, Central North Dakota. And many homes still need to be Gutted before developing mold. Buses filled with volunteers from Bismarck, will arrive throughout the week.

Among the recommendations:

When processing materials containing asbestos must wear gloves, goggles and HEPA FILTER Respirator. Asbestos materal must be processed during wet or damp, extracted and properly labeled twice. Tape from the Gutted with plastic sheeting to prevent contamination of other areas of the House. Keep wet insulation to prevent the spread of dust. use windows for ventilation and to eliminate all dust and debris, using the methods of the wet scavenging. temporarily move your family members (especially children and pregnant women) out of the House until the work has been completed.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 4: 59 pm and is filed under asbestos exposure, mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed.

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Èriocit has a serious mesothelioma threat in North Dakota

The threat of a sharp increase in mesothelioma cases around Dunn County, North Dakota isn't going away any time soon, despite a number of precautions have been taken in the past few years.

A recent study reported in 25 July 2011, the work of the Bureau of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a detailed description of the risks posed by continued èriocit, fibrous mineral used in the production of gravel, mainly for roads in the western part of the State.

Èriocit is very similar to asbestos, the main cause of pleural mesothelioma, which attacks the lining of the lungs. Èriocit fibers, which become airborne, have already been linked to the alarmingly high incidence of mesothelioma in Cappadocia, Turkey, where it is found in homes, roads and surrounding mountains.

"A study in North Dakota was the concentration of èriocit was comparable or even higher than what was found in Turkey, '' said Haining Yang, Tel. (D), University of Hawaii Cancer Center, who led the study. "This seriously. Some studies have shown that èriocit may be more dangerous than asbestos. "

There are at least 12 Western States, where they found deposits of èriocit, but has the highest concentration of use in North Dakota.  According to a study of èriocit is used in almost 30 years, covering approximately 300 miles of roads and parking areas in North Dakota.

This study in cooperation of scientists from the environmental protection agency, National Institute of environmental health sciences, University of Hawaii and the University of Iowa.

North Dakota Department of health and the EPA also made an 18-month study, which ended in October 2010, but it was inconclusive. Although he found no increase in mesothelioma cases related to èriocit, he noted that the long latency period for cancer (20-50 years) may hide their findings.

The conclusion that occupational exposure to road gravel, containing èriocit may lead to increased problems and chest area. The study also concluded that "the problems are consistent with those seen with commercial exposure to asbestos. '' he recommended that the impact of èriocit gravel dust will be reduced to a minimum, which is almost impossible during the dry summer days.

North Dakota Department of health published a recommendation three years ago to stop using gravel, containing èriocit, and the Department of transport stated that the requirement of public roads. After the study three different counties have agreed to adhere to the recommendations of the State. Killdeer city removed from several parking lots affected gravel, including at the baseball park and swimming pool.

"It is impossible to predict what will happen there. You can only hope for the best, "Jan said Tuesday in an interview with asbestos.com. "It's better sooner or later encounter a problem, or it could be a disaster ''.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 26, 2010 at 5: 26 pm and is filed under asbestos exposure, mesothelioma research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed.

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