Naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) is causing residents some concerns in El Dorado Hills, California. An investigation was recently completed by the EPA that was started a few years ago as a result of public concern about asbestos contamination. The worry arose as due to planned development in the Oak Ridge region of El Dorado Hills, where naturally occurring asbestos would need to be broken up and handled in order to commence the project. While few studies exist regarding naturally occurring asbestos, exposure to fabricated asbestos fibers has been conclusively linked to mesothelioma as well as a host of other aggressive and fatal diseases. In Oak Ridge, the planned development projects could cause a local high school to become contaminated with asbestos dust.
The investigation was recently closed and a decision was made stating that no further research is necessary. The EPA admits that breaking up the asbestos that occurs naturally around El Dorado Hills will increase residents’ exposure to the substance, but claims that further evidence is necessary to link this specific form of asbestos to the harmful and fatal diseases normally associated with the mineral.
“We don’t think,” said Jill Dyken, a federal environmental health scientist, “the exposure is high enough that we would be able to measure elevated rates of diseases in the community.”
Residents are not altogether comfortable with the decision to close the investigation, and fear that development is certain to proceed despite the dangers it could pose to people in the area.
The problem is that NOA hasn’t been studied enough to make any accurate conclusions. The El Dorado Hills county website discusses the presence of NOA throughout the region, and states “When rock containing NOA is broken or crushed, asbestos may be released from the rock and may become airborne, potentially causing a health hazard.” Additionally, the American Cancer Society claims that around a third of mesothelioma cases are attributed to non-occupational exposure, and traditional research in the arena of asbestos exposure demonstrates that short term studies such as the one performed by the EPA are fairly ineffective.
Nadine Lauren, a spokesperson for a local group that opposes development in the area believes that the EPA’s claim that further evidence is required to necessitate a full scale study is simply “a curtain a lot of people are hiding behind.”
Moving forward with construction projects in El Dorado Hills may open the door for further development of asbestos contaminated land throughout California. While the EPA is remaining aloof about the issue, the county’s environmental management director says that El Dorado Hills plans to work with federal officials to improve public education concerning asbestos exposure.
