Recently, Southern California has been overrun by wildfires, and that is a cause for concern towards asbestos. This was a very commonly used insulator before the 1980’s in American homes.
After eight days of running fires, the Californian State lost over 140,000 acres of forest and over 64000 homes. This immense tragedy forced thousands of people to evacuate the area, and flee in front of the raging fire. Besides the danger of fire, citizens also have to face the risk of asbestos exposure in California.
As you probably already know, asbestos is a mineral, found under natural form in many regions of the world. Because of its very special properties, asbestos has been used in many homes from the 1930’s to our days. The state of California has a lot of such houses and industrial buildings, built during the revolutionary period. This type of material was also used in a lot of other common household items.
As studies have shown, asbestos is almost harmless if left in it’s original shape. When it becomes friable, it releases asbestos fibers into the air and it becomes very dangerous for anyone nearby. If inhaled, these fibers will lead to mesothelioma or other severe asbestos diseases.
The fires that have been lasting for so long are causing asbestos materials to become friable, and the heat makes these fibers become airborne. The environment is very dangerous.
The effects of asbestos require some time to become felt, anywhere from 10 to 50 or even 60 years. This is called the mesothelioma latency period for this type of disease. Symptoms that are exhibited by asbestos patients are not specific to this type of disease, and will be mistaken for other types of diseases.
The recommendation of experts for this period is to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed for as long as possible. You should use masks when you need to open the doors. You can use moist clothes as a filter against dangerous particles.
If you suspect asbestos exposure, contact appropriate authorities as soon as you can.
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