Asbestos exposure after a natural disaster is a risk to the humans in the immediate area of the damaged buildings and other structures in the disaster area. This is because millions of buildings and structures in the U.S. were built during the decades in which the dangers of asbestos were either not yet known, or were known but ignored. When building components with asbestos are damaged in a natural disaster, the asbestos fibers may be released into the air and inhaled. Once internalized, the asbestos fibers can cause the development of serious ¾ even deadly ¾ diseases.

Asbestos Products Used Widely in Buildings

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used extremely widely in the construction of homes, schools, workplaces, and all types of private and public buildings in the years before the late 1970s, when the federal and state governments finally started to limit the use of asbestos. However, asbestos in those buildings can be released into the air by natural disasters such as:

• Earthquakes
• Fires
• Tornados
• Hurricanes
• Floods
• Lightning strikes
• Thunderstorms
• Tsunamis
• Other weather disasters

Damaged Asbestos Building Components

Although asbestos building components are not a danger when they are left intact and are still in good condition, the situation can change drastically when a natural disaster occurs. Parts of a building may become exposed, torn, damaged and quickly weathered. The danger of the tiny fibers of asbestos becoming airborne is high after a disaster, and it's not unusual to see tens or hundreds of buildings damaged in a single natural disaster.

Before the Clean-Up

Emergency personnel organized by a government agency respond to natural disasters, and they are trained in methods of rescue and recovery to minimize their exposure to asbestos and other toxins. However, before emergency personnel and clean-up crews get to the area where a natural disaster has occurred, the families who live there may be at risk of inhaling asbestos fibers from their homes and other buildings.

Public Health and Asbestos Containment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that after a natural disaster, homeowners should follow the guidance issued by local/state/federal public health authorities and state-certified asbestos contractors. We are also happy to provide more information about asbestos exposure after a natural disaster; contact us online today.