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LONG-TERM RISKS/
ASBESTOS
source: www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/
hpguide.html
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Asbestos and radon are among the most publicised indoor air pollutants. Both are known human carcinogens…
Their carcinogenic effects are not immediate but are evident only years, even decades, after prolonged exposure.
Asbestos- Once widely used in structural fireproofing, asbestos may be found predominantly in heating systems and acoustic insulation, in floor and ceiling tiles, and in shingles in many older houses. Products and materials containing asbestos are not necessarily so labeled;
- when asbestos-containing material is damaged or disintegrates with age, microscopic fibers may be dispersed into the air. Over as long as twenty, thirty, or more years, the presence of these fibers within the lungs may result in asbestosis (asbestos-caused fibrosis of the lung, seen as a result of heavy occupational exposure)*, lung cancer and pleural or peritoneal cancer, or mesothelioma;
- the risk of disease depends on exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Average levels in buildings are low, and the risk to building occupants is therefore low. Removal of asbestos is not always the best choice to reduce exposure.
* The first death attributed to occupational asbestos exposure occurred in 1924; the details were recently recounted: Selikoff, I.J. and Greenberg, M. "A Landmark Case in Asbestosis." Journal of the American Medical Association 1991; 265:898-901.
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