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November 26th, 2007
A Missouri building was given notice this week that the presence of asbestos must be made known to the public and tenants. An anonymous tip led to the discovery of the exposed asbestos.
A phone call to officials in Kansas City, Missouri led to a building being given notice that asbestos must be revealed to tenants and the public. Three companies within the downtown building may have left the asbestos-bearing materials in the parking garage, although it is not known at this time which company is responsible for the hazardous material. A restaurant in the building was also notified of the presence of asbestos, but since they have an entrance that is linked to the outside of the building, it was thought that the restaurant was not exposed to the asbestos.
The asbestos is sitting in the open, in a state that may expose the parking garage to dangerous asbestos fibers. Inhaling asbestos particles can lead to respiratory diseases like emphysema and mesothelioma, a deadly type of lung cancer. Asbestos fibers that are breathed into the lungs become trapped their, disrupting the tissue within the lungs from absorbing oxygen and resulting in mesothelioma. This type of cancer can take decades to diagnose, and is usually terminal when detected. Officials are waiting for tests to come back this week before making a statement on the situation.
