February 16th, 2008

As the holiday season approaches, some homeowners in California are relieved to be going back home. Fires that erupted in southern California may be over, but the damage caused could have a lasting effect.

After the wildfires in southern California were extinguished, many homeowners were relieved to be returning to homes with little or no damage. While some neighbors lost everything, those with standing structures counted themselves lucky to have a building to go home to. While the flames may have subsided there is still a potential danger to people returning to damaged neighborhoods; that of asbestos exposure. For homeowners with little or no damage, the thought of asbestos may not cross their minds, but if there are severely damaged homes that contain asbestos in the neighborhood, the danger of asbestos exposure is real.

When asbestos is disturbed or damaged it can become airborne, making the hazard of breathing in asbestos particles a real one. Inhaling asbestos particles has been known to cause mesothelioma as well as other diseases. Mesothelioma, a form of aggressive lung cancer, can take years to develop and may be untreatable when it is diagnosed.