Asbestos News

The worn asbestos floor tiles at Vancouver, Canada's Firehall No. 5 are just some of the major problems facing the facility, according to the Vancouver Sun.

City Manager Penny Ballem told the news source that she also saw mold, peeling paint and a cracked foundation when she toured the 62-year-old facility last month.

She said that the tour of the building helped demonstrate to her the city's previously poor treatment of the fire department and that she knows changes need to be made. As a result of this, the city has decided to make $800,000 available to repair a number of fire department facilities.

It is important that asbestos be properly removed from buildings prior to renovations and demolitions as the deadly mineral fibers can become loose during such work. The inhalation of the fibers can cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, such asbestos-related diseases kill approximately 107,000 people around the world each year.

The $800,000 will give the fire department the ability to repaint interiors and make a number of emergency structural repairs to buildings that need them, according to the news provider.