OSHA Raises Awareness about Asbestos Threat in Hurricane Sandy Areas

December 10, 2012 - Amid cleanup efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, government agencies are taking the threat of asbestos exposure more seriously than they did immediately after 9/11, when tens of thousands of workers were exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances.

Their concern is that not only homeowners but also first responders already could have been exposed to asbestos as they help with cleanup efforts.

To help get the word out, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent out 60 ground personnel to teach workers and residents in obliterated towns how to protect themselves from what are being classified as “major environmental toxins,” including asbestos, which can cause serious respiratory diseases. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 35 million homes, schools, and businesses in the US may be contaminated with asbestos.

OSHA, Centers for Disease Control, and other government organizations suggest that anyone involved with cleanup wear a hard hat, goggles, heavy work gloves, and water-tight boots with steel toes and insoles. Those people also should use a N95 respirator.

To read the full article, visit:  OSHA Helps with Post-Sandy Asbestos Woes

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