Asbestos potential problems

Mr. Stossel provides the background to determine the real factors that can adversely affect your life span. He interviews numerous experts, and concludes the media is generally focuses on the bizarre, the mysterious, and the speculative—in sum, their attention is usually directed to relatively small risks. The program corrects misperceptions about the potential problems of asbestos in schools, pesticide residue on foods, and some Superfund Sites. The video is very effective due to the many excellent examples of risks. 

This potential problem, which actually arises very rarely (metals very rich in nitrogen in which traces of carbon are to be determined), can be overcome easily by suitable chemical treatment of the soda asbestos, following the first step above (88). 

Asbestos. EPA issued a proposed rule concerning identification and correction of friable asbestos-containing materials in schools. Based on data voluntarily submitted, EPA estimated that at least 8,600 public schools attended by over 3 million children contain such materials. However, EPA reportedly has no information on another 44,000 schools. Classroom concentrations of asbestos fibers in some schools have been found to approximate concentrations in homes of asbestos workers who do not have shower or laundry facilities at work. Since children exposed to asbestos will live long enough to allow the cancer latency period to elapse, the presence of friable asbestos materials in schools represents a potentially enormous public health problem. The final asbestos rule will reportedly be promulgated in the near future. (The rule was published May 27, 1982.) No other regulations regarding asbestos have been issued. 

Soil plays an integral part in our lives and is inherently linked to public health. For example, many of the essential trace elements which we require in our diet to remain healthy are derived from soils and parent rock material, and low concentrations or the unavailability of these elements in soil can cause dietary deficiencies. Soils can also be contaminated with a range of potentially hazardous substances (both chemical and biological) which, if present at sufficiently elevated levels, can present a potential public health problem. For example, soils may contain elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium and lead which can have measurable and often severe effects on local populations. The soils of Cappadocia in central Turkey are naturally rich in fibrous asbestos-like minerals that are thought to be the cause of a rare cancer in local communities1 while exposure to the bacterium Clostridium tetani in soils can cause tetanus. Despite such examples, the effects of contaminated land have, until recently, been relatively ignored and, even today, our understanding of the mechanisms and level of risk associated with contaminated land is poor in relation to air and water. 

The caustic soda produced contains vety low levels of salt (less than 60 ppm at 50% caustic strength). In addition, the environmental problems encountered with mercuty ceils and die potential for health hazards from handling asbestos are elimineied. The chlorine ges that is coproduced is also a highly pure product. 

Where asbestos has been used as insulation in laboratory ovens, some concern has been voiced about the potential exposures of service persormel performing maintenance on the units. Although under normal circumstances such operations will involve minimal contact with the insulation, it is desirable to purchase units which use other insulating materials. Eventually the ovens containing asbestos will have to be removed from service, and the asbestos insulation would represent a possibly expensive disposal problem. The oven legally could not simply be taken to the typical local municipal landfill. 

Removal of asbestos cement sheets causes problems because of their potential height and fragility, and weathering which produces fibrous surface dust. Basic principles to follow are ... 

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