What do the Calgary floods have to do with asbestos?

As the city of Calgary, Alberta and its surrounding areas begin to assess the cleanup from last week’s record-breaking flood, it is important that public health remains on the radar. There are many risks to people’s health that can result from exposure to hazards that are the direct result of the floods or the cleanup efforts.

Aerial view of downtown Calgary June 22, 2013**

One such concern is asbestos. As a very popular building material for home and other buildings during the twentieth century, asbestos is present in most of Canada’s cities, in buildings built before the year 2000.

Asbestos is not dangerous when it is isolated in building materials but as soon as it is disturbed, its fibres will become airborne. From there, they can enter a person’s lungs and wreak havoc years later in the form of asbestos-related diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

From the images of the record-breaking floods, we have seen the power of water. It has the power to destroy property and break apart even the strongest materials… Materials like those reinforced with asbestos, materials that are present in many buildings around Canada, including in Calgary.  

The damaged homes resulting from flooding could have been made with asbestos containing materials such as drywall, insulation, tiles, roofing, siding, gaskets, and sealants. There are so many possible uses for asbestos that so many products – over 3000! – in the twentieth century were made in part with asbestos.

During the 1950s, Calgary’s population was expanding. Calgary remained one of the fastest growing cities in Canada due to oil production for the next few decades after that, too. With so many new homes required and asbestos being the popular product of the day, it is not unreasonable to assume that many of the homes still in the area contain asbestos.

Floods can expose asbestos in homes that was isolated before, preventing contact with people. Flooding can also damage materials containing asbestos, a situation that will also lead to asbestos fibres in the air. Water is strong enough to break these materials down enough that asbestos fibres can easily get into the air once they dry out.

Unfortunately, there is not yet a registry for buildings containing asbestos in Canada, though Saskatchewan recently committed to create a registry for that province. A registry of buildings in which asbestos is present could be a very useful source during cleanups after floods or other natural disasters.

Armed with information about where people could encounter asbestos would allow us to take the necessary safety precautions to keep residents, and especially first responders and disaster relief workers, as safe and healthy as possible.

Resources:

The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2012). Calgary. Retrieved June 2013 from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/calgary.

The Mesothelioma Center. (2013). Asbestos and Natural Disasters. Retreived June 2013 from http://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/natural-disasters/.

**Image from: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/geekquinox/communities-along-south-saskatchewan-river-brace-approaching-floodwaters-003800046.html.

Reduce Your Risk Of Asbestos Exposure In Your Home

Asbestos, though potentially deadly as a carcinogen, is a very useful product. For this reason, it is very likely to be all around us, in many buildings built before 2000. Learn how to reduce the risk of asbestos exposure in your home below.

When is asbestos dangerous?

Asbestos is dangerous when present in the air we breathe. It is especially problematic when we are exposed to it over long period of time in large concentrations but even less intensive exposure to the fibres can be result in asbestos-related diseases.

If asbestos fibres are disturbed, they are released into the air, where they become health hazards. Disturbing asbestos fibres can occur often in subtle ways. Firstly, asbestos containing materials are a diverse group of products. Furthermore, asbestos is difficult to detect without laboratory testing because it doesn’t have a distinct smell or colour. It doesn’t even have a distinct ‘look’ because it is most often mixed with other minerals in one product.

Asbestos fibres under a microscope. 

Get Help From The Experts

Make sure you get your home tested for asbestos if it was built before 2000. This must be done before you begin renovations or any other action that could disturb asbestos fibres if they are present. Call an experienced contractor trained in asbestos to inspect your home and complete required laboratory tests. 

Do not remove asbestos products by yourself. You should call a contractor who knows how to handle the hazardous material properly to minimize risk for everyone. While this can be expensive, it is worth it to protect your health.

Keeping Yourself Safe

If you think there is asbestos in your house, seal of the area temporarily until workers arrive to remove it. Or, if the asbestos is isolated, do not disturb it so the fibres will not get into the air.

During asbestos removal, workers should take maximum precautions to keep themselves and others in the area safe. This includes keeping dust in the work area by reducing air pressure and keeping the area moist as well as wearing protective equipment like approved facemasks and other protective clothing that is washed separate from regular clothes.

Again, asbestos removal should only be done by a qualified expert in order to protect everyone’s health. 

Asbestos warning sign: remember to protect yourself

Resources:

Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2013). Asbestos. Retrieved June 2013 from http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/yohoyohe/inaiqu/inaiqu_001.cfm.

Wastech. (ND). Asbestos Disposal Control. Retrieved June 2013 from http://www.wastech.ca/uploads/Wastech%20asbestos%20info%20May2012.pdf.pdf. 

Five Curious Historic Uses Of Asbestos

Today we know asbestos is a very dangerous material. We know that when its fibres are disturbed, they will float into the air we breathe and then become lodged in our lungs where they can cause disease.

A scant few in ancient and medieval times suspected there were health risks associated with asbestos. For instance, ancient Roman Pliny the Elder suggested against purchasing slaves who had worked in asbestos mines because they died earlier. Despite these inklings, though, the asbestos hazard was not widely known or widely accepted before the twentieth century.

While the people of ancient, and later medieval, civilizations did not produce asbestos products on the same massive scale that was done during and after the Industrial Revolution, they did use asbestos products.

Mostly, these products were novelty due to its strange and ‘mystical’ properties. Asbestos in Ancient Greece was almost as valuable as gold. That’s why a common type of asbestos is called ‘chrysotile’; ‘chysos’ meant ‘gold’ and ‘tilos’ meant ‘fibre’.

Here are five fascinating historic examples of strange products made from asbestos and used long ago:

1.
In Ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins tended to a sacred flame that was meant to be everlasting.

During this time, Romans made wicks for candles from asbestos. For this reason, some speculate the wick for the flame kept by the Vestal Virgins was made from asbestos. 

The Temple of Vesta, where the Vestal Virgins kept the everlasting flame lit. 

2.

Ancient Persians imported asbestos from India. Explorer Marco Polo wrote that they believed the product to be the fur of an animal that lived in fire that they called ‘samandar’.

Persians used asbestos textiles to wrap their dead in the funeral pyre so their ashes would remain separate from the rest of the fire.

3.

Charlemagne was the first Holy Roman Emperor after the collapse of the Roman Empire three hundred years before his reign.

He reportedly convinced guests that he had supernatural powers by throwing the tablecloth soiled from use into a fire. He would then remove it clean and unharmed from the flame. Due to its inflammability, it is thought that this tablecloth is made from asbestos.

4.

During medieval times merchants traveled around selling, among other curiosities, ‘magical’ crosses that were said to be part of the cross upon which Jesus died.

They were ‘proven’ to be magical because they did not burn when placed in fire. The truth of their identity was also ‘verified’ because the asbestos has the look of very old wood.

5. 
The jeweler Faberge also created with asbestos minerals. Faberge, who also made the famous and beautiful Roman eggs, crafted a decorative dandelion from precious metals, including asbestos fibres as the fluffy dandelion seeds. 

A Faberge-made dandelion with an asbestos puff.

Resources:

Barbalace, Roberta A. (2004). A Brief History of Asbestos and Associated Health Risks. Retrieved June 2013 from http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/environmental/asbestoshistory.html. 
Inglis-Arkell, Esther. (2011). The sordid, bizarre history of asbestos goes all the way back to Emperor Charlemagne. Retrieved June 2013 from http://io9.com/5833469/the-sordid-bizarre-history-of-asbestos-goes-all-the-way-back-to-emperor-charlemagne.

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Information Exchange. (2011). History of Asbestos. Retrieved June 2013 from http://www.mesothelioma-help-network.com/mesothelioma/articles/history_of_asbestos/index.html.

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center. (2010). Asbestos History. Retrieved June 2013 from http://www.maacenter.org/asbestos/history.php.

United States Department of the Interior. (ND). Asbestos: Geology, Mineralogy, Mining, and Uses. Retrieved June 2013 from http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-149/of02-149.pdf.