Asbestos Concern for San Diego Site

Article Added July 31st, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story

A new housing project may be dead in the water if San Diego residents have their way. Worried that construction would disturb asbestos, locals are asking that the plan be denied.

A 16-acre lot that once contained asbestos and may be the site of a future housing project was the subject of heated discussion this week. Residents in the area are concerned that construction could scatter asbestos fibers into their neighborhood, putting them at risk. The city agreed that the contractor should bring in an independent contractor to test for asbestos prior to breaking ground, but has not declared the project as canceled.

Asbestos is a normally safe material, only becoming hazardous when it is disturbed or broken up. The fibers then can become airborne, infecting people in the area and contaminating surrounding areas. When the fibers are breathed in, the asbestos lodges in the lining of the lungs, killing the tissue there. The dying tissue prohibits neighboring tissue from absorbing oxygen as well. The lungs then cannot absorb oxygen, causing the victim to die of suffocation. Asbestos-related diseases, like mesothelioma, can take years to manifest, and are often times untreatable by the time of detection.

Article Added July 31st, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story