Asbestos News

After a fire at a highway vehicle storage barn in an Upstate New York town, it was feared that asbestos may have been disturbed, but initial testing revealed that the carcinogenic material was not present at the site.

The fire at the vehicle storage complex in the town of Veteran, New York, damaged the structure, according to WETM, an NBC affiliate.

However, inspectors found that asbestos was not present in the building.

Fire can often allow asbestos to become airborne and spread throughout an area. Such airborne asbestos fibers pose serious risks to those in the area if they are inhaled.

The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the body by attacking the thin membrane that lines the abdomen, chest and many internal organs.

It is estimated that such illnesses claim the lives of 107,000 people each year around the globe, according to the World Health Organization.

Veteran Highway Superintendent Curt Rhodes told the news source that the building's bricks will be tested to see if they can be re-used during the reconstruction of the barn.