Asbestos News
Market in Jamaica contains asbestos
According to the Jamaica Gleaner, vendors working at the Victoria Craft Market in the city of Kingston, Jamaica, could be in danger of being exposed to asbestos.The crumbling roof of the market is reportedly lined with the dangerous material, which was prized for many years due to its resistance to fire and utility as an insulator. However, by the mid-1960s, it became known that exposure to asbestos could cause a number of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that occurs in the tissues surrounding many of the body's internal organs.
The news source reports that medical officials have warned that the inhalation of the deadly mineral fibers can cause such diseases.
Despite the fact that the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which owns the market, has promised to fix the asbestos problem, some vendors are still concerned about potential exposure.
"Yes, we [are aware of the asbestos problem]. But where do we go?" asked Florence Jackson Salmon, president of the Kingston Craft Market Association. "There are 114 of us; most of us are women and single parents."
2/1/11
Related Articles
Utah building owners plead guilty to asbestos removal violations, Janet Hartung, 5/21/12
Maryland workers tasked with asbestos removal go on strike, Ariella Yu, 5/18/12
Roof replacement at Connecticut gym turns up asbestos, Ed Michler, 5/17/12
Australian factory fire prompts asbestos concerns, Ariella Yu, 5/16/12
Does anything other than asbestos exposure cause mesothelioma?, http://www.archivesofpathology.org/doi/full/10.5858/arpa.2011-0039-RA, 5/21/12
Asbestos concerns arise at eastern Australian transfer stations, Ed Michler, 5/14/12
'Take-home' asbestos exposure is every bit as serious, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos, 5/16/12
Traces of asbestos force closure of Canadian high school, Janet Hartung, 5/10/12
Asbestos exposure causes not just mesothelioma, but also emotional strain, http://icoh.confex.com/icoh/2012/webprogram/Paper7297.html, 5/10/12
Asbestos discovered during construction of North Carolina natural gas complex, Ed Michler, 5/9/12