I go to a small and very old college in western Pennsylvania. My dormitory is about 70 years old. There are rumors that the walls are "filled with asbestos". I don't know much about this, but what are the odds that there is some truth to this rumor, and why exactly is asbestos harmful?
inhaling fibers can cause asbestosis or lung cancer Amosite and crocidolite are the most hazardous of the asbestos minerals because of their long persistence in the lungs of exposed people. Tremolite often contaminates chrysotile asbestos, thus creating an additional hazard. Chrysotile asbestos, like all other forms of asbestos, has produced tumors in animals. Mesotheliomas have been observed in people who were occupationally exposed to chrysotile, family members of the occupationally exposed, and residents who lived close to asbestos factories and mines.[28] The most common diseases associated with chronic exposure to asbestos include: asbestosis and pleural abnormalities (mesothelioma, lung cancer) [29] Asbestos exposure becomes a health concern when high concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over a long time period.[30] People who become ill from inhaling asbestos are often those who are exposed on a day-to-day basis in a job where they worked directly with the material. As a person's exposure to fibers increases, because of being exposed to higher concentrations of fibers and/or by being exposed for a longer time, then that person's risk of disease also increases. Disease is very unlikely to result from a single, high-level exposure, or from a short period of exposure to lower levels.[30] [edit]Mechanisms which might be triggering cancer development
Most of the universities and colleges throughout the country are filled with asbestos. It's just a fact of life. One time I was walking down a hallway and an asbestos ceiling tile was lying on the ground because it had fallen from the ceiling. I gasped and held my breathe as I walked by. How many people do you think were exposed? That's a low level exposure and what we experience everyday. Every time you are out driving in traffic you are being exposed to low levels of asbestos because asbestos was used in automobile fiction parts. Asbestos is harmful because it's a mineral that breaks down into tiny fibers that get into your lungs causing irritation and later cancer. If you breathe in one too many of these fibers you can contract a deadly disease called mesothelioma. It's dangerous stuff and massive exposures should be avoided at all costs.
All you need to do is contact the Health and Safety Department of the College and they will have the most reliable information. Don't believe such rumors. There have never been walls filled with asbestos. Get the facts. For basic asbestos information including health impacts, see the reference.
