May 6th, 2008
A South Carolina Food Lion grocery store remains closed this week after officials found levels of airborne asbestos in the building. Customers that shopped over a one-month period are requested to dispose of any food that was bought during that time.
A Food Lion grocery store is asking customers that shopped over a one-month period to either throw the items away, or bring them to another store with a receipt for a refund. The store requesting the returns is closed due to asbestos, and no one knows when it will reopen. When contractors were removing flooring tile, officials say that asbestos was released into the air. The levels of asbestos found so far are well below the level considered “safe,” but the store is taking no chances and will keep its doors closed.
Asbestos is a normally safe material used in flooring, insulation and fire retarding materials before the 1980s. Certain types of asbestos can be dangerous, however, if they are disturbed or improperly handled. The asbestos can become airborne, and then can be inhaled or ingested into the body. Inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to respiratory diseases like mesothelioma and emphysema. Health officials say the store is acting responsibly, since the level of airborne asbestos in the store is so low that even elderly or sick people have little chance of developing mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related diseases.
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