How dangerous is asbestos after the explosion of a steam pipe?

What makes asbestos a health risk?

These same tiny fibers are what can make asbestos dangerous, especially when they become airborne. "They have the shape of little daggers," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, an occupational physician who has studied the effects of asbestos on health for many years. When the fibers are inhaled, Dr. Landrigan said, "They can penetrate the lung tissue and stay there for many years." Once in place, these fibers can damage lung tissue and cut out DNA from its tissues. cells. Dr. Landrigan, Professor Emeritus of Preventive Medicine at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and Director of the Global Public Health Program at Boston College

What Asbestos Health Problems Can it cause?

From the late 1960s, landmark studies by Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of Mount Sinai showed that long-term exposure to asbestos caused cancer. Some of the early studies involved workers from a union of insulators from New York and New Jersey who had been exposed to asbestos for years or decades. It is now "without a shadow of a doubt," said Dr. Landrigan, that asbestos can cause lung cancer, pharyngeal cancer, ovarian cancer , mesothelioma and scarring of the lungs, known as asbestosis

Dr. Bisesi agreed that the exposures and health risks badociated with pipe rupture should be minimal, but they pointed out that smokers exposed to asbestos pose a much higher risk than those who do not smoke. For smokers, Dr. Landrigan said that "this should be a wake-up call to quit smoking because smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer as a result of exposure to asbestos.

Who is most at risk? People who may have walked in the area, parked their cars there or have apartments in the area would have some risk if asbestos was released into the atmosphere, said Dr. Landrigan. He described this risk as "extremely low". In the face of heightened risk, he says, there are people like Con Edison employees who have been working in tunnels for years and can now be called to clean up the mess.

Persons who have been evacuated from apartments and businesses in the area should in no way return until the city has conducted more asbestos testing and determined whether corrective action is required. John-Patrick Curran, environmental lawyer at Sive, Paget & Riesel in New York City, said there was no reason to think that residential property owners or businesses Commercial spaces would be exposed to any liability as long as they would follow this protocol. If swab tests determine that surfaces in buildings have been contaminated with asbestos, the Department of Environmental Protection seals these areas and decontaminates them. Absorbent materials such as carpeting or upholstery may need to be removed and destroyed. At this point, businesses and residents can come back.