Naturally Occurring Asbestos in El Dorado County, CA

There are many forms of air pollution and asbestos is one of them. There are many kinds of asbestos that can occur naturally in the earth but they are all extremely dangerous when they become airborne. As a matter of fact "the U.S. Bureau of Mines has named more than 100 mineral fibers as "asbestos-like" fibers, yet only six are...regulated by the U.S. government" (Types of Asbestos, 2009). An example of an area where asbestos occurs naturally is El Dorado Hills in California. In this area developers have developed this area, thus they have stirred up the microscopic fibers of asbestos. In order for anyone to appreciate what the residence of El Dorado Hills has had to deal with they need to understand the history of the area, how the asbestos had become air borne, what the hazards of asbestos are, and what the residents could do for precautions.

It was about 1849 when the area of El Dorado Hills in California was explored for gold but those that were in search for it left empty handed (Patterson, 2010, p. 334). Then it was around the late 1970's when a developer came up with the idea to develop the area (Patterson, 2010, p. 334). This area went from a piece of land in the middle of nowhere to a well developed piece of heaven in just a matter of few years. With schools, parks, expensive housing, etc. no one would suspect that this area has a dark secret. It was "in the fall of 2004, agents from the Environmental Protection Agency descended on El Dorado Hills in respirators and protective suits and headed for the town park" (Patterson, 2010, p. 335). With these strange dressed scientists swarming areas where children played the residents wanted answers. The EPA essentially said that the asbestos exposure levels were "of consern" (Patterson, 2010, p. 336). Then the people of El Dorado Hills "received the EPA's findings almost as a declaration of war on El Dorado Hills and its way of life" (Patterson, 2010, p. 336). Even though there has been studies done on the levels of asbestos and the health hazards it can and has caused, it is very important to understand how the asbestos has become airborne.

When people think of asbestos they picture a dust floating around in and around buildings that has dry wall, insulation, etc. that contain asbestos. Most people are not concerned with the idea that asbestos can be found naturally in the ground anywhere around the world. Asbestos becomes dangerous only when the minerals like Chrysotile, Tremolite, Actinolite, Anthophyllite, Amosite, Crocidolite, etc. become disturbed (Types of Asbestos, 2009). Serpentine which is a main source for asbestos, is found all over California (Patterson, 2010, p. 335). These minerals and others like them are brittle and easy to become airborne (Types of Asbestos, 2009). When the developers came into this area and began using bulldosers, shovels, and etc. they began to break the top soil and break up the mineral depsits. Because the area has been disturbed the asbestos fibers are now airborne. As the wind blows, children run causing the sand to fly, vehicals drive off road, and etc. Because of the many years of studies there has been a growing understanding of what health problems asbestos can cause when inhaled for a long period of time.

When air borne asbestos is inhaled some of them become imbedded in the lungs of its unsuspecting victims. "Fibers can accumulate and cause scarring and inflammation" (ATSDR - Asbestos - Health Effects, 2008). When there is sufficient amount of "scarring and inflammation can affect breathing, leading to disease" (ATSDR - Asbestos - Health Effects, 2008). The diseases that asbestos can cause are lung cancer, mesothelioma, nonmalignant lung, asbestosis, pleural plaques, pleural thickening, and pleural effusions (ATSDR - Asbestos - Health Effects, 2008). The reason why the residents and government officials of El Dorado County do not find asbestos as a concern is that for a long time there was little or no symptoms of being exposed (Patterson, 2010, p. 338-339). However, most of the effects from asbestos are usually not noticed until about 15 years or more (Patterson, 2010, p. 338-339). Some of the people who still live there do not take this issue seriously. Even though there are people who may want to deny the dangers of asbestos in their area there are always precaution that could be made to try to control the amount of asbestos that becomes airborne.

The residents of El Dorado Hills, California can take several precausions to control how much of the microscopic fibers of asbestos becomes airborne. One of the things that could help reduce the amount of asbestos ending up airborne, is dust control by keeping the soil moist. They could also cement all of the areas that contain the asbestos deposits to prevent them from being disturbed too much. Another way is to ensure there is no off roading. Unfortuantley, due to the fact that developers are more than likely interested more in profit, rather than the prevention of dust, there will always be room for intentional and unintentional errors. Therefore, there will always be a risk for the men, women, and children who live where asbestos is.

In conclusion, asbestos occurs both naturally and unnaturally. Either way, when the microscopic fibers become airborne they become a form of air pollution. When asbestos is airborne it becomes dangerous to most people who are exposed for long periods of time. There are many types of health effects that asbestos can cause; however, the symptoms usually do not become known for many years. Due to the health risks that can become deadly it is important for the people that live in and around El Dorado Hills, California to take precautions in order to prevent anymore of the fibers from becoming airborne. All in all, the cost of their lives should outweigh the cost of the preventive measures that could prevent disease.

References:

ATSDR - Asbestos - Health Effects. (2008, April 1). Retrieved November 20, 2009, from Agency

for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/asbestos/health_effects/

Patterson, R. (2010). Not In Their Back Yard. In T. A. Easton, Taking Sides - Clashing Views on

Environmental Issues (13 ed., pp. 334-340). New York City, New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Types of Asbestos. (2009). Retrieved November 20, 2009, from Asbestos.com:

http://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/types.php