Dominion Virginia Power (DOM) company’s power plant in Surry, Virginia, suffered a power outage during a recent tornado on April 16. Although the power was switched immediately over to a generator, details of the power plant unfolded as outage consequences were addressed.

Due to the outage, one of the reactors required refueling. According to DOM’s spokesman, Rick Zuercher, the refueling process can take up to a month in time and necessitate nearly one hundred different contractors working on multiple aspects of the project. It was one of these many contractors that reported an asbestos threat at the power plant.

State Department of Labor and Industry responded to the report and began an investigation. Not much is being shared publicly, however. Department spokeswoman Jennifer Wester said, “We’re looking into it, yes,” but declined to make any further comments on the matter.

Asbestos would be expected in a power plant—one of the structures known to use the material for its fire resistant and insulating qualities. Relatively safe when contained in an intact component, asbestos poses a threat when its fibers or dust particles become airborne. Asbestos exposure can occur after wear and tear breaks down the containing materials or some disaster or demolition suddenly tears open the containing material.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines regulations for use and removal of asbestos in its Clean Air Act. These regulations did not come into play, however, until the nineteen-eighties. Asbestos was used heavily in the US before its health threats were discovered. Close to a century of asbestos use in the US has now brought countless cases of exposure, which can easily go unchecked and unnoticed for years. .

Asbestos is known to cause severe respiratory illnesses. Among these is rare cancer mesothelioma—a system of irregularly patterned malignant tumors which grow through lung lining and lining of other abdominal cavities. Mesothelioma development begins after asbestos fibers are inhaled into the lungs. Characterized by a long latency period typically between twenty and fifty years, mesothelioma goes undetected for decades. Diagnosis is difficult as symptoms do not demonstrate until the disease has reached its final and most aggressive stage. Life expectancy following diagnosis averages eighteen months. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but no known cure.

DOM’s Surry power plant has a potential health and safety threat on their hands. Depending on the level of exposure, employees, contractors and area locals could be put at risk for mesothelioma or other respiratory diseases.  Zuercher said a “team of experts” has tested the facility and consider asbestos levels to be well within safe brackets outlined by Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.

A defunct California firm has left a building abandoned and unmanaged in Augusta, Maine. Once an apartment building, the three-story structure is now covered in graffiti and home to vagrants, squatters and criminals. Locals and neighboring residents have complained to authorities of drug dealers and thieves living in the building.

City Manager William Bridgeo was hoping this problem would be one that just fades away. However, the escalated situation now requires attention from authorities. Not only are current residents and their questionable activities causing concern, but Fire Chief Roger Audette is wary of the building’s fire hazard potential and the effects such a disaster could have on other closely set homes and buildings.

Bridgeo said, “This is one of those unfortunate situations, in my mind, where I fear Mr. Murphy and his law will kick in, and something tragic will occur if we do nothing. And there’s really no other responsible party we can go after.”

Through legal process the city of Augusta was able to claim responsibility for the property. The only option, though, seems to be demolition. “I have to tell you,” Bridgeo concluded, “I can’t see any other options open to us that responsibly address the concerns that police, fire, code enforcement and I have.”

Now demolition plans have brought up a whole new area of concern. Asbestos shingles cover the exterior of the apartments building, and must be safely removed before demolition begins. Interior components may also contain the toxic chemical, postponing project completion dates and raising costs.

Bob LABreck, city facilities and systems manager, is watching expenses of this new responsibility go up and up. “It’s a mess,” he said. “It’s covered in asbestos, and there is literally eight to ten inches of debris on the floor, on every floor. You name it, it’s in there. It’s a tired building.”

Asbestos fibers are known to cause several respiratory illnesses included rare cancer mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period and a short life expectancy following diagnosis. Diagnosis is often difficult as many mesothelioma patients have no idea they were ever exposed to asbestos, and when symptoms do demonstrate they mimic those of pneumonia and bronchitis. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but no cure.

LaBreck estimates asbestos abatement at the property will double the amount spent on demolition alone. However, Mayor David Rollins takes on the project thinking of public safety and benefits to the community. “As much as we don’t like the number in front of us, the potential disaster is a much greater number,” he said.

Scotsman George O’Donnell is facing mesothelioma as bravely as he can. After his doctors found scarring in O’Donnell’s lungs in 2009, he was alerted to the possibility of dangerous diseases. His mesothelioma diagnosis followed.

O’Donnell received mesothelioma treatment, including chemotherapy, but his doctors advised him that there would be no full recovery. “That’s very hard to take,” he said, “but you just have to accept it.”

According to Prof Julian Peto, of London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine and the Institute of Cancer Research, the UK has the highest annual mesothelioma death rate, with over two thousand losses each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates ninety thousand mesothelioma cases worldwide if global asbestos use is not curbed immediately. WHO classifies asbestos as a Type 1 carcinogen, responsible for causing both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma as well as asbestosis and lung cancer.

Asbestos use has been heavily regulated in many countries including the UK, Australia and the US. However, prior to these regulations, most of which became enforced just in the last few decades, asbestos was used without proper safety and health protection—there are countless asbestos containing materials that have been spread across the nations for decades. Now, the clean-up jobs continue to put workers and the public at risk.

O’Donnell believes he was exposed to asbestos during his construction career in Glasgow. With its fire resistant and stabilizing qualities, asbestos was a regularly used substance in all building arenas. O’Donnell had countless chances to be exposed to the toxic fibers on a daily basis. He did not know at the time that the dust he was breathing in was such a danger.

O’Donnell’s daughter, Elaine Darling, comments on her father’s workplace asbestos exposure. “He was never made aware of the dangers of asbestos,” she said. “They didn’t have health and safety the way we do now. A lot of his work was pulling down tenement buildings and working on the roofs, where there was asbestos you didn’t know about.”

Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period without signs or symptoms. Once symptoms do show, the cancer has developed to an aggressive stage. Diagnosis can be difficult as symptoms mimic those of pneumonia or bronchitis.

O’Donnell’s daughter said, “It’s been hard seeing how the mesothelioma has affected my dad, seeing him lose weight and getting thinner about the face. It’s frightening how quickly something that has been inside him for years can take effect.”

In September of 2010 Oregon Employees Federal Credit Union hired Cascade paving of Salem, Oregon, to demolish one of their buildings and appropriately remove and dispose of the present asbestos material. Cascade was not licensed for asbestos removal or disposal, but took the job and proceeded with the work.

Asbestos has been used in the US since the 1920s. Its fire resistance and strength brought asbestos quickly to the top of most used materials in US industries. Between the 1920s and 1980s asbestos earned the nickname “backbone of American industry.”

In the past few decades, however, the health concerns associated with asbestos exposure have come to light. What has built much of American industry, as well as military equipment, commercial and residential buildings and countless other structures, is actually killing people.

About three thousand Americans suffer each year from rare cancer mesothelioma, which is caused by asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period and a short life expectancy following diagnosis. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but no known cure. Other severe respiratory conditions linked to asbestos exposure include lung cancer and asbestosis.

In the 1980s the Environmental Protection Agency began to define asbestos regulations in its Clean Air Act. This act describes the responsibility of all US citizens and residents to raise and maintain the quality of air in America. Current regulations require contractors working with asbestos to hold to the highest standards in ventilation control, personnel protection, transportation and proper disposal of asbestos containing materials. Specific licenses can be attained after training has been received.

Due to the high content of asbestos in American buildings, many contractors receive the necessary training to work in asbestos abatement. In fact, there are companies working only in this niche. However, the training, licenses and associated regulations can make asbestos abatement an expensive business. Corners are often cut.

Cascade paving and the Oregon Employees Federal Credit Union have been fined $48,000 for violating asbestos regulations. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality became involved in demolition inspection and noted that Cascade was sending asbestos debris through a grinder before disposal. This toxic waste was not bagged or transported properly and was disposed of at a waste site that also lacked the proper licenses for asbestos handling.

Among the wreckage of the building, piles of asbestos containing material were seen out in the open. Cars and houses through the surrounding area were covered the dust from the demolition, possibly containing disease causing asbestos fibers.

A Lansdowne, Pennsylvania elementary school was recently inspected for asbestos and other upgrade needs. Renovations were scheduled and a budget of $16 million dollars was put aside for the task. However, a new discovery of over 16,000 square feet of asbestos containing tiles has added additional time and costs to the project and left board members upset at the setback. Many are wondering why this material was not detected during the first inspection.

Asbestos is a toxic chemical considered a Type 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Heavily used in the US through the last century countless building and structures still hold asbestos containing materials. These materials, such as floor and ceiling tiles, can take years to wear down, releasing asbestos fibers into the air and creating a  public health hazard.

Environmental Protection Agency says of asbestos, “Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been used commonly in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire-retardant. Because of its fiber strength and heat resistant properties, asbestos has been used for a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.  When asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed by repair, remodeling or demolition activities, microscopic fibers become airborne and can be inhaled into the lungs, where they can cause significant health problems.”

One specific health problem caused by asbestos is rare cancer mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period and short life expectancy following diagnosis. Mesothelioma develops through the lining of lungs and other abdominal cavity linings as an irregularly patterned system of tumors. Mesothelioma treatments exist, but there is no known cure.

Susan White, President of Sussex Environmental Health consultants, LLC (SEHC), based in Delaware, aids in inspection for schools with asbestos and other indoor air quality (IAQ) issues. She said of the Lansdowne school situation, “A thorough building investigation should have involved testing some of the ceiling tiles. Had it been discovered earlier, it could have been worked into the initial renovation budget.”  She continues, “With today being National Healthy Schools Day it’s important that educational institutions across the nation look to ways of providing the healthiest IAQ possible for their students, faculty and others.”

Many schools and municipal buildings built during the ‘asbestos age’ are now beginning to show signs of wear and tear that could lead to asbestos exposure. With diseases like mesothelioma potentially affecting staff, students, faculty, and the public, White’s advise to seek thorough inspections is well founded.