After a house fire, homeowners face a wide variety of headaches and heartbreaks – and when the fire and its aftermath reveal the presence of asbestos in a home, that “headache” can become a life-threatening event. After the recent fires in southern California, many homeowners conducting cleanup operations found their homes contained hazardous materials which need to be disposed of, including the deadly mineral fiber asbestos. If inhaled, asbestos can cause a number of lung conditions and cancers in humans. In order to prevent homeowners from being exposed to dangerous substances during the fire cleanup, government officials have authorized contractors to perform screening and disposal applications. This service is being provided free of charge for the southern California fire victims.

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In the Netherlands, homes in the villages of Lutjegast, Doezum and Sebaldeburen were found to have asbestos after the residences were damaged in a recent windstorm. Citizens are concerned that the storm may have released asbestos fibers into the atmosphere, where they could pose an inhalation danger to residents. Local officials have yet to determine the risk to citizens from asbestos, and say that they will conduct more tests.

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An abandoned asbestos dump in Ambler Borough, Pennsylvania became a renewed center of controversy when the EPA began working at the site. Up until the 1960s, the site in this tiny Pennsylvania community was used as a dumping ground for industrial asbestos waste. The waste has remained untouched, covered lightly with vegetation. Without the knowledge of the citizens of Ambler Borough, the Environmental Protection Agency began to operate earth movers at this former asbestos dump. They cleared the patch of land to allow an access road to a nearby creek to be built. Residents raised concerns, saying that this movement of the soil could have broken some of the asbestos waste which remains buried at the site. A disturbance of the asbestos pieces could release fibers into the air; asbestos fibers are known to cause a number of deadly lung ailments in humans who are exposed.

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Vincent and Antoinette Scriptunas have filed suit against 85 different companies in a West Virginia Court, claiming that Mr. Scriptunas’ malignant mesothelioma is the result of asbestos exposure he received while working in a Union Carbide plant in South Carolina. The Scriptunas now live in West Virginia.

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The Lung Association, a prominent Canadian health charity, is recommending that naval veterans who worked aboard ship or at shipyard facilities from the World War II era through the 1970s seek medical examinations and assessments for asbestos exposure. Veterans who worked on ships or in shipyards during that time period may have been exposed to asbestos fibers and may be at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases.

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The largest asbestos-related lawsuit in Japanese history was launched this week at the Tokyo District Court. A group of 178 construction workers and their relatives are requesting 6.6 billion yen ($61 million US) in compensation. The suit seeks compensation from 46 manufacturers of construction materials as well as the Japanese government for failing to protect them from the hazards of asbestos contamination despite knowing of the health hazards that asbestos exposure presents.

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In Rye, New York, the police headquarters building is undergoing an asbestos cleanup, the second cleanup of the facility since May of this year. The cleanup was ordered after the police union held a “no confidence” vote against the city’s manager and police commissioner because of the building’s condition.

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