Advice On Asbestos Disposal

by Kirsten Hawkins

Did William Daniel have proper advice on asbestos disposal? This resident of Ohio was fined $22,600, ordered to perform 208 hours of community service and was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment on 21 Feb 2002 for violating the Clean Air Act. Daniel had improperly disposed 469 bags of asbestos waste thereby causing a grave danger to public health.

Condition of Asbestos is a Major Factor in its Disposal:

Depending on condition, we can divide asbestos into two major groups.

Friable - that which can crumble by hand pressure such as insulation

Non-friable - that which will not crumble under hand pressure such as asbestos sheets in good condition.

A Quick Guide to Asbestos and Health Issues

Gerard Simington

Unless you have been completely out of touch, you have probably heard all the hubbub about the dangers of asbestos. So, what is the big deal?

A Quick Guide to Asbestos and Health Issues

Asbestos is a fibrous material that is highly resistant to burning. It has a long history. While it was first used on a large scale commercial basis at the turn of the twentieth century, it has actually been around much longer. In fact, the ancient Egyptians were known for using it burial clothes.

Common modern applications used to include building materials, products and automobile brake pads, which all required a fire resistant element. Asbestos is still used today, but on a fairly small scope. The reason has everything to do with health. Asbestos in and of itself is not harmful to people. What is harmful, however, is asbestos dust.

Asbestos dust is a vicious thing. Due to the chemical makeup of the material, the dust is like a cloud of fine glass particles. While they will not damage your skin, they do great damage to the lungs. Making matters worse, asbestos dust is so fine that it is easily raised from asbestos material like ceiling tiles and walls. Once in the air, it is all but invisible. Prolonged exposure, such as when working on or in a building with asbestos materials, can result in massive amounts of the toxic dust entering the lungs.

Once asbestos dust is in your lungs, you cannot expel it by coughing. That doesn’t mean the body does not try. Asbestosis is scarring of the lungs from acid created by the body in an effort to get the asbestos dust out. If this process is allowed to occur for 10 to 20 years, the lungs may stop functioning because of excess scarring. If that sounds bad, it only gets worse. Asbestos dust can lead to terminal cancer in the form of mesothelioma. [What is Mesothelioma?]

Asbestos is an excellent fire resistant material that saves us from burning while killing us in a much slower manner. Since 1989, it has been banned in the United States in all but a few commercial areas.

Gerard Simington is with FindAnAttorneyForMe.com - offering asbestos and mesothelioma legal information.

General Advice on Asbestos Disposal:

If you are unsure whether your appliance contains asbestos, it is best to contact the manufacturer directly and ask. Giving the model and year of manufacture would help. Ask for specialist advice on asbestos disposal if your appliances contain asbestos. You can use the yellow pages to locate manufacturers and people offering asbestos disposal services and advice.

Disposing small quantities of household asbestos is straight forward, but if quantities are large then consult professional disposal agents. They will observe all laws and will dispose the asbestos in authorized sites only.

The key element of the disposal process lies in ensuring that fibers do not separate and fly into the air. Towards this end, experts advise that we dispose asbestos on a humid and a calm day and reduce the numbers of people involved to the bare minimum. Any dismantling of structures would provide opportunity for the fiber to separate and fly. While dismantling, keep the asbestos sheet wet with soap water to reduce dust and fiber.

After separating the asbestos, you should pack it in heavy gauge plastic sheets. Smaller pieces can be stored in two layers of polythene bags. Any residual dust or small pieces can be picked up using a wet cloth and stored in double plastic packets. You should use similar disposal method for clothes used in the asbestos removal process.

As we said above, so long as we observe common sense precautions in accordance with advice on asbestos disposal and ensure that fibers do not contaminate surroundings and the quantities involved are small, there is no danger of running foul of the Law. However, it is essential that we are aware of the "Clean Air Act" and similar laws before disposing of large quantities of asbestos. William Daniel may have served out his sentence, but the next judge may well be stricter.
About the Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a asbestos and mesothelioma specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.asbestosblog.org/ for information on asbestos reform, mesothelioma lawsuit news, and more.

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