Asbestos Halts Colorado Fire Cleanup

Across the United States, asbestos continues to cause headaches in many ways. As just another example, a Jan. 4 fire at a retail store in Castle Rock, Colo. may have exposed first responders to the asbestos that happened to be in the building.

Nobody even realized the asbestos was present until a demolition inspector discovered it and reported his find to the state health department, says an article in the ourCastleRockNews.com site. (A certified building inspector also confirmed the find.) The state health department spokesman said that asbestos was indeed disturbed and released during the fire. The Castle Rock fire chief said, however, he didn’t know if the firefighters were exposed to asbestos during the initial response to the blaze.

The health department’s spokesman said many of the details of the find are still being determined. “When you have an event like a fire, depending on the age of building, it can be on walls, ceilings, floor tile or behind walls as insulation and piping,” he explained. “In other units that received cross-contamination, asbestos needs to be removed. It’s not uncommon in circumstances like this.” Coping with asbestos spills is a near daily event for the state, he said.

The town of Castle Rock and the fire department that battled the blaze were not aware of the asbestos find until they saw signs on the building warning of the presence of the toxic mineral. Any exposure to asbestos can be dangerous as there is no known safe level of exposure, according to the National Cancer Institute. Exposure to asbestos has been linked to numerous illnesses, including asbestosis, asbestos lung cancer and mesothelioma. Latency periods can be as long as 40 years between exposure to asbestos and the onset of mesothelioma symptoms.

If you or a loved one has developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos, you may be eligible for a mesothelioma lawsuit. Call Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation. Mesothelioma attorneys can help you investigate your exposure to asbestos.

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