Asbestos Fears Sparked By Vacuum Cleaner Theft
Police from Great Britain are asking the public to help find a stolen industrial vacuum cleaner which was used to suck up and remove asbestos. According to BBC reports, thieves broke into a construction site under renovation over the weekend in the town of Carlisle, northern England. After moving five vacuum cleaners into another room, the robbers chose to steal a yellow Numatic cleaner. Unfortunately, anyone coming in contact with that cleaner will now face serious health risks and is advised not to touch the unit because it contains asbestos. Just three years previously, a situation just like this occurred when burglars stole a batch of industrial vacuums from Redcar & Cleveland College in Northeast England. According to the BBC, the police responded by releasing a warning to the public that told them not to purchase the cleaners if they were offered them.
Asbestos is Cause for Extreme Caution
When it comes to asbestos, the cause for extreme caution is warranted. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, there is no recognized safe level of asbestos exposure. Inhalation of the fibrous mineral causes serious illnesses, including asbestosis, cancers of the lungs and other organs, and mesothelioma. Asbestos is present in many older buildings in the United Kingdom and the United States. Versatile, cheap, and flame-retardant, the fibrous mineral was used extensively in building materials until about 1980, when the dangers of inhaling the material became widely known. Because asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma take decades to develop, thousands of people were exposed to the material while working on job sites. Have you been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related condition? Do you believe you were exposed to asbestos at a job site? Then you may be interested in having your questions about asbestos exposure and the possibility of having mesothelioma answered by Dr. Gill, here at the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America