Science Matters |
So Does Truth and Common Sense |
Current rulings on asbestos ignore sound science and Court
rulings. Over the years we've spent millions to comply with EPA
asbestos rulings. To an extent these rulings say, "where
asbestos is used in schools as insulation, as a fire retardant,
or for sound-proofing, it must be removed". Just for public
buildings and schools the cost for compliance has been enormous.
Nationally it has run into hundreds of billions, certainly
millions right here in Maine.
Seldom do rulings define asbestos. There are six kinds, but only
three, the blue, the white and the brown, have ever been
commercially important. The blue - hardly ever used today, has
caused lung cancer. It was imported from Africa and while it has
never been generally used in the country, it was widely used in
ship building during World War II. It is bad stuff and when it is
combined with smoking, it became mighty dangerous - worst than
simple exposure to blue asbestos alone. The white asbestos
(chrysotile) comprises 95% or more of the asbestos used today in
this country.
And chrysotile is the asbestos used in our schools and other
buildings. It is of no danger to anyone, any worker, any child in
school. That is probably why on October 21, 1991, the U.S. 5th
Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, lifted the EPA ban on
asbestos. But the EPA and our own DEP in Augusta has ignored this
ruling. I am totally amazed at this arrogance which continues to
exist.
What goes on here? To finance any building where there is a
question about the condition of asbestos in the walls, around
pipes, etc., removal may be required. There is a ruling, out of
Washington, that requires the removal of asbestos in schools -
sometimes, it seems, whether or not the asbestos is falling,
crumbling or otherwise bad shape. As EPA head, William Reilly has
said a decade ago, "the mere presence of asbestos in a
building poses no risk". However, as they so often do, the
EPA ignores sound science and yes, even Court rulings like the
one by the 5th Circuit Court mentioned above.
Again and again the white (chrysotile) asbestos has been proven
not dangerous. In Ontario, where so much of it is mined, research
has shown miners with a lifetime of exposure to white asbestos
fibers have a normal life expectancy. In fact, a report by the
Royal Commission on Matters of Health and Safety in Ontario
states, "Even a building whose air has a fiber level up to
ten times greater than that found in typical outdoor air would
create a risk of fatality that was less than one-fifth of the
risk of having a fatal automobile accident while driving to and
from the building. Asbestos in building air will almost never
pose a health hazard to building occupants".
This soft white chrysotile is common in many parts of the United
States. In the San Francisco Bay area, for example, there are
widespread outcroppings of serpentine rock, which weathers,
releasing chrysotile asbestos fibers to the atmosphere and water
supplies. There is no evidence of elevated rates of
asbestos-related lung disease in California.
A record measurement of asbestos in water comes from the Klamath
River in California and Oregon where 300 billion fibers per liter
were found. Imagine the asbestos spread over the ground when the
river floods! Remember all this exposure is to the chrysotile
type of asbestos. However, the average exposure of miners and
other chrysotile asbestos workers in the workplace is about two
fibers per cubic centimeter of air, an infinitesimal amount when
compared to 300 billion fibers per liter.
Hiram Perry writes on environmental, agricultural and other scientific topics for various Maine publications. Contact Hiram Perry by phone (234-2790) or email perry@uninets.net |