January 24th, 2008

Three fire stations in Washington, D.C. have been found to contain high levels of asbestos. Those fire stations, as well as many others in the district also face an ironic problem; faulty smoke detectors.

A report issued by Washington, D.C. inspectors indicated that 31 of the 33 fire stations in the D.C. district had serious problems within their buildings. Three of the buildings had substantial amounts of asbestos-containing items in them, which will be monitored and, if need be, safely removed from the fire stations. The asbestos can become a health concern as it breaks down, releasing airborne particles into the buildings. Airborne asbestos can be breathed in and can result in diseases like mesothelioma.

Ironically enough, the main problem with the majority of fire stations appearing on the report are faulty or missing smoke detectors. The smoke detector issue was concerning since most fire stations in D.C. provide free fire detectors to the public. Asbestos can also be a silent killer, since cases of mesothelioma can take years or decades to manifest. The disease is also most likely terminal at the time of detection. Mesothelioma occurs when asbestos fibers become caught in the lungs, keeping the tissue from absorbing oxygen.