Chevy Chase, Maryland ? After a devastating fire that ripped through an apartment building in Chevy Chase, MD, earlier in May, residents were told that they could not return to their homes not because of the extensive fire damage but for the asbestos found during the post-fire clean up.
Nearly 20 residences at the Round Hill Apartments were either fully destroyed or damaged by the fire. Fire officials now believe that the fire was intentionally set, but the motive or the person involved has yet been identified.
After the fire was contained and extinguished, officials let residents return to the homes to retrieve personal belongings. The apartment complex was considered unsafe for some inhabitants as it underwent restoration after the fire.
Late last week, officials informed residents, as many were packing up personal items, that parts of the complex were unsafe, not from the fire damage, as it would be expected, but from asbestos contamination.
Many of the residents were devastated to learn that they could not return to their homes because of the risk of asbestos exposure.
Though it is unclear from reports, but it is possible that the asbestos became a serious health threat to residents after the fire exposed and damaged building materials that contained asbestos. Most, if not all, public and private buildings built up until the latter part of the twentieth century contained products with asbestos.
As an incredibly versatile material, asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that had numerous manufacturing applications including usage in building, electrical and plumbing materials.
Naturally, asbestos does not pose an immediate health threat to people, but when the material is disturbed in any way, the resulting fibers become highly toxic. Linked to many deadly diseases, asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, heart or abdominal wall.
In most cases of mesothelioma or other asbestos exposure related diseases, the disturbed asbestos fibers become airborne and are more likely to become inhaled or ingested. Once asbestos particles are inhaled, they can become lodged in the lungs, resulting in considerable damage that may lead to mesothelioma, asbestosis or even lung cancer.
With Round Hill Apartments, it is unclear when residents will be able to return to their homes or how long it will take for the apartment complex to not only be fully decontaminated from the lingering asbestos but when the restoration from the fire will be completed.
Article source: http://www.mesothelioma.com/news/2012/05/maryland-residents-cant-go-home-after-fire-due-to-asbestos.htm
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