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  • Home > Blog > Featured Story > Mesothelioma Caused by Any Level of Asbestos Exposure, According to EPA Inspector General
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2011

Mesothelioma Caused by Any Level of Asbestos Exposure, According to EPA Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in response to allegations that the Agency has authorized the use of unapproved methods to demolish buildings containing asbestos, has issued a warning reiterating previous findings that “asbestos is a human carcinogen with no safe level of exposure.”  Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins Jr. adds, “Asbestos exposure can lead to serious diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.” 

Mesothelioma and other respiratory diseases result when asbestos is improperly handled. The airborne asbestos fibers that are released can put residents near demolition projects at risk of contracting deadly, asbestos-related illnesses.  For that reason, experienced and certified contractors should always be hired to carry-out any asbestos abatement projects.

In 1973, the EPA issued standards to protect human health from exposure to asbestos during demolition of buildings and asbestos removal. The standards require that specially-trained technicians remove asbestos-containing material prior to demolition, unless the building is structurally unsafe to enter.

However, according to the report, the EPA is not following its own guidelines and has allowed unapproved asbestos removal methods to be used or considered at multiple sites.  Sites including the Hanford Superfund Site, near Richland, Washington, and a gaseous diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky are two such locations where questionable removal methods are being used. According to the report, “The current and proposed use of unapproved methods may jeopardize the health and safety of the public.”

The use of unapproved methods is counter to EPA regulations, says Elkins, and he said the EPA should retract any approval for the use of alternative asbestos removal methods that deviate from the recognized standards.

Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a disease that kills between 2,500 and 3,000 people in the U.S. each year. Symptoms of mesothelioma, such as shortness of breath and chest pains, may take as many as 10 to 50 years to develop. Once diagnosed, mesothelioma progresses rapidly.