County environmental health department says Crestmoor neighborhood is clear of asbestosSan Bruno, California - Asbestos and hazardous metals have been found in the debris left by a fire that ripped through the San Bruno, California Crestmoor neighborhood on Sept. 9. Traces have also been found in the air, but according to the county environmental health department, the amounts weren’t large enough to be considered dangerous to residents' health. Of course, there are scientists and health specialists that believe no amount of asbestos exposure is safe.
Asbestos is a toxic mineral that was commonly used in construction during the 19th and 20th centuries. It’s use was banned in the United States in the late 1980’s when it became widely know that asbestos causes such fatal diseases as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen.
Crews finished demolishing the burnt houses two months ago, and the county's environmental health department wants to dispel any fears that the Crestmoor neighborhood is still contaminated with toxic substances. Ignoring asbestos contamination would create tremendously hazardous situation, as prolonged asbestos exposure is the primary cause of mesothelioma.
Because there is no way to know whether you are being exposed to asbestos other than through air and soil testing, most people don’t realize what’s happened until they develop mesothelioma several decades down the line, and by that time it is generally too late to reverse the damage. Mesothelioma treatment is highly aggressive, yet generally only results increasing life expectancy by about six months.
"If we had not gone in as quickly as we did to clean that material up, then I would say, absolutely, there would still be an ongoing issue with contamination,” said Dean Peterson, the director of the county's environmental health department. "But when you clean up the source, you're not adding to that contamination. That's really what we did."
