Ceiling collapse may have drenched parishioners in mesothelioma asbestos
150 parishioners of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Hickory, North Carolina were showered with ceiling debris this past Sunday. Without warning, the ceiling inside the sanctuary collapsed, injuring 12 parishioners. The church, built in 1958, may also be asbestos-ridden, posing a massive problem to Pastor Antonio Logan.
Logan described the incidence: “We were terrified. I was concerned if people were hurt. My jaw just dropped. It's a miracle no one was killed.”
All 12 parishioners have been treated and released from the hospital, according to the Hickory Record.
The church is temporarily closed while Catawba County building inspectors determine whether the building is safe for parishioners to return.
One of the major tests inspectors must run, concerns asbestos. The interim chief of building services for Catawba County, Joel Herman, said he’s afraid the church is asbestos-ridden, for the building was constructed in a primary year where asbestos was used.
If the church were asbestos-ridden, the ceiling's collapse would have already released airborne asbestos particles. If parishioners were exposed to the toxic material for an extended period of time, they’d be put at risk for contracting mesothelioma--a rare and aggressive form of cancer which affects the mesothelium.
Unfortunately, mesothelioma doctors find difficulty in diagnosing and treating patients as the latency period of the disease ranges from a decade to fifty years. A lack of mesothelioma information also prevents individuals who suffer from symptoms of mesothelioma to receive the proper diagnostic tests, and unfortunately many are misdiagnosed.
Inspectors aren’t sure why the ceiling fell, yet have ruled out rain as a potential cause.
Pastor Logan, in the meantime, will search for an area Friendship Missionary Baptist Church can hold their services.
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