Ever since they began to demolish and remodel older buildings in recent years a new medical condition has hit the scene – Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma has begun to occur in rising numbers across the country because of the greater number of asbestos removals occurring. In many cities in lieu of razing entire blocks of classic structures, developers are remodeling them and literally gutting them putting everything fresh inside them. As they do this asbestos is removed.
Even with protective gear some exposure to it is imminent. But in the like vein, in some municipalities they ARE razing entire blocks of classic structures in favor of building new ones. As they do this asbestos comes out and becomes airborne. Again the workers have safety gear on, but some exposure is imminent, yet in this case with it being airborne, who is going to protect the public? What about the kids playing on playgrounds on neighboring blocks? No child deserves to be exposed to this, albeit accidentally. Which brings me to the next cause of Mesothelioma – schools.
Several of the older schools have had to be closed down to remove asbestos from them because of the risk to the children, yet there are still several more out there which are not having asbestos removed yet. Originally Mesothelioma was a disease limited to those who worked in auto plants, shipyards, and the HVAC industry – but in my honest opinion I believe it encompasses much more than that. I believe the areas I specifically mentioned are definitely just as much at risk of getting Mesothelioma if not more so due to the closeness and concentration of the particulate matter involved.
Mesothelioma is very difficult to treat. It has symptoms similar to asthma and emphysema, but eats the body like cancer does. There are a large number of fatalities due to Mesothelioma each year. We need to do two things. First – we need to re-think methods we use for handling and disposing of asbestos, and second – we need to focus hard on an effective treatment for this disease.
