The National Cancer Institute states that: "Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (the pericardium)."
SPRINGFIELD CLOSES FIRE STATION FOR ASBESTOS REMOVAL
The city of Springfield, Missouri will shutdown one of its fire stations for asbestos removal.
Fire Station Number 4, located on Glenstone Avenue, will be closed for the next six weeks as crews remove asbestos that was installed when the building was constructed in 1968.
The city has asked fire companies to conduct the bulk of their normal operations within their regular district in an effort to cut down on increased response times. Springfield anticipates that response times will likely be affected the most during overnight hours when firefighters from Station 4 will be split among stations 3 and 5.
Asbestos poses a hazard to firefighters both in firehouses where it was commonly used in construction and during fires when it can become airborne and later be inhaled during the later stages of the fire and cleanup when many crews don't use respirators.
HOW TO FIND OUT IF YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL CONTAINS ASBESTOS In the United States:
In 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1986 which mandated that all schools in the United States that contained asbestos would be subject to the following:
- Yearly inspections of areas known to contain asbestos. If the material is in bad condition, schools must then come up with an action plan.
- Development of asbestos plans for each facility that includes guidelines for operation and maintenance and how to implement action plans.
- Schools are required to develop an asbestos management plan. Schools that do not have a management plan in place will be subject to fines.
- How schools will conduct abatement and removal procedures.
If your child's school was built before the 1980s there is a strong possibility it contains asbestos. We suggest you contact a school administrator and ask whether the school contains asbestos and if so, is the material in areas where students could possibly come into contact with it. In addition if the school contains asbestos, you can request a copy of the school's asbestos management plan which is required for all schools that contain asbestos.
Asbestos in School Playgrounds
In some instances, asbestos containing fill was used for school playgrounds and recreation areas. In many cases the material was donated by local industry or construction companies. During normal play the material would disturbed by children and that could have released asbestos fibers into the air. While there have been no reported cases of children developing asbestos related diseases from playground areas, asbestos has been found in numerous playgrounds.
India's Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers accused of tampering with study on asbestos
New Delhi, India – Environmental groups are accusing the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers of tampering with a study on white asbestos.
The Ban Asbestos Network of India and several other groups have attained documents using the Right to Information Act that they say prove the ministry’s alleged involvement in trying to influence the study to maintain that asbestos should continue to be used in the country.
Although the substance has been banned in 40 countries, it is still widely used in India for products such as roofing sheets, flat sheets, cement pipes, industrial gloves, and brake linings and pads. There are over 30 companies in India that produce products that contain asbestos.
An environmentalist claims that the ministry is conspiring with the asbestos industry to influence safety studies conducted on the material. The study which examines workers in the asbestos industry as part of the research is being conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Health. The study was requested by the ministry in the first place.
Workers at an asbestos company in Calcutta, the NIOH found, contained lung abnormalities of up to 32 percent. However, before the findings could be reviewed by scientist or released to the public, the ministry asked the NIOH to justify its finding to show whether asbestos was the direct cause.
A review committee created by the ministry announced at a meeting in April that the report would be finalized after it had discussed the findings of the study with the asbestos industry.
A BANI representative said that the ministry wants shape India’s domestic policy on asbestos.
Listed below are links to other cancer resources on the Internet that have information about mesothelioma.
More : Mesothelioma informationNational Cancer InstituteUniversity of Pennsylvania’s OncolinkIntelihealth - www.intelihealth.comAmerican Institute for Cancer ResearchAmerican Thoracic Society - www.thoracic.org Canadian Cancer Society - www.cancer.ca American Cancer Society - www.cancer.orgChemoCare - www.chemocare.com Malignant Mesothelioma - at Mesothelioma Aid Mesothelioma glossary
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