Asbestos Removal Nanaimo & Victoria BC
Asbestos hasn’t been regularly used in home building products since 1990 but still poses a serious health risk in those home built prior.
We know thousands of Canadians and Americans are affected every year by illness related to Asbestos exposure. However the number of illnesses resulting in death may have been severely under estimated.
A new study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) finds that asbestos kills significantly more people each year than previously estimated.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) database, EWG calculated that from 1993 to 2013, 189,000 to 221,000 people (12,000 to 15,000 per year) died from mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis in the United States alone.
EWG says that public records of U.S. asbestos-related deaths are imprecise, however, and that their estimate is conservative.
“As shocking as these figures are, they may be too low,” said epidemiologist and former assistant Surgeon General Dr. Richard Lemen in a press release from EWG Action Fund.
“The report did not estimate deaths from the other-asbestos-related diseases. Furthermore, some studies suggest even higher lung cancer rates in asbestos-exposed workers,” said Lemen.
According to EWG study, 39,870 Americans died from mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused exclusively by asbestos exposure, from 1999 to 2013. Over the same period od time, EWG estimates that 20,317 Americans died from asbestosis, a type of lung scarring caused by asbestos fibers, while as many as 159,480 died from asbestos-related lung cancer.
In addition to deaths from these causes, it is believed that asbestos exposure can also cause many other forms of cancer including: cancers of the larynx, pharynx, stomach, colon, ovaries, and rectum. An older study by EWG that includes asbestos-related gastrointestinal cancer puts the number of annual U.S. asbestos deaths at around 10,000.
Homes in Victoria and Nanaimo built prior to 1990 likely contain asbestos and vermiculite based products. Asbestos Testing is highly recommended for these homes. Asbestos Removal and Vermiculite removal are highly dangerous processes and should be left to professionals such as Hazpro Environmental. It’s during the asbestos removal process when the asbestos fibres can become airborne and directly inhaled. Considerable caution and strict safety requirement must be followed during the asbestos and vermiculite process. (Learn more)
Although asbestos is no longer mined in the U.S. it continues to be imported and used in a wide range of products.
EWG’s figures indicate that there was no apparent decline in asbestos deaths from 1999 to 2013. There were 2,481 mesothelioma deaths in 1999 compared to 2,686 in 2013 and a high of 2,874 in 2012. Asbestosis deaths were virtually identical in 1999 and 2013 (1,258 vs. 1,229). Both EWG’s lower and higher estimate of lung cancer deaths show increases from 1999 to 2013.
This can be attributed to the long latency period of many asbestos diseases. Mesothelioma, for example, can take 15-50 years or more to develop from the time of initial asbestos exposure.
Given the lag between asbestos exposure and disease onset, asbestos disease rates will likely remain high for years to come.
At Hazpro Environmental we’re committed to building a safer community for our families. If you’re concerned about asbestos, vermiculite, or other hazardous materials in your home or workplace please contact us.
Our qualified team has the resources necessary to identify, educate, and handle the asbestos and vermiculite removal process in Victoria, BC.
We look forward to helping you and your family live a safe and healthy life!
Sources: mesotheliomahelp.org
