Recent reports of national infrastructure problems have illustrated a potential crisis in the coming years as antiquated asbestos fixtures will have to be removed to comply with federal guidelines.
Infrastructure may not be high on the list of perceived threats to our country’s safety and security but attention to the problem is gaining momentum following a slew of accidents in the summer of 2006, including a Manhattan steam pipe rupture and the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
Few people realize however, that these infrastructure maladies are much more widespread and preventing their remedy in many cases is the complications of asbestos. While most asbestos-containing materials were banned nearly three decades ago, they still remain in most buildings that contained them originally. When these materials are left undisturbed and intact, they are generally harmeless. As they age however, they break down slowly, becoming increasingly more dangerous.
Recent studies show that nearly 80% of buildings constructed prior to 1978 contain asbestos in some capacity. Many of these buildings are architecturally important but the cost of asbestos removal has been prohibitive in renovating or repairing them.
Unfortunately, this puts nearly everyone at risk of harmful asbestos exposure as these structures and other infrastructure fall further and further into disrepair. Every antiquated school building, firehouse, and municipal building is putting children, firefighters, and municipal workers at potential risk.
Asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to a number of respiratory illnesses. These health complications caused by asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer for which there is no cure. Even small exposures to asbestos can leave lasting damages to a person’s body, the symptoms of which will often not even manifest until many years following the exposure.
Decaying infrastructure is not only a danger to our architectural integrity of this nation, but is setting up to pose a significant health risk.
The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center has long been recognized as the web’s leading resource for accurate and up to date information concerning mesothelioma, asbestos, and mesothelioma treatment.
For further information please contact the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center.