Fire Debris May Spread Asbestos

May 30, 2012 - PRLog -- If a fire occurs in a building constructed between 1935 and 1970 near your home, you may want to avoid spending time outside in your yard and call an asbestos remediation professional immediately. The deadly asbestos fibers, which may have been released by the fire, can spread in the air and settle on nearby properties, putting you and your neighbors at risk. A recent incident in Scotland highlighted how serious a problem it can be.

A Glasgow neighborhood has been told to limit use of their gardens and lawns after a nearby school went up in flames early next week. Officials suspect that debris from the fire may have contained asbestos fibers, which then settled on the surrounding property.
The clean up is underway, and residents have also been warned against attempting any cleanup on their own as asbestos clean up requires trained professionals. Residents have been urged not to cut their lawns or hedges until the work is complete, because this may spread the asbestos fibers once again.

A spokesman for the city was quoted as saying “a substantial amount" of work to clear the debris has already been done and will continue between 7am and 10pm each day until it is finished. Furthermore, city officials are monitoring the air in the area and say that asbestos is within acceptable limits.

Asbestos becomes dangerous after building materials begin to break down and the asbestos fibers become airborne. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to the development of respiratory cancers, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. Symptoms may take up to fifty years to present themselves after the initial exposure to asbestos fibers.

“EMSL Analytical laboratories have been performing high quality asbestos analysis since 1981,” says Ed Cahill, Vice President of EMSL’s Asbestos Division. “Each of our 31 locations is equipped and accredited to test for the presence of asbestos in the air, soil, water, or bulk building materials.”

For more information regarding EMSL’s asbestos services please call 800-220-3675 or visit www.EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies.