In the March 2011 issue of Indoor Environment Connections, Douglas Kladder the Director of the Center for Environmental Research & Training in Colorado Springs, Colorado wrote an excellant article regarding asbestos.  Being on the asbestos side of the fence, it is interesting how sometimes we get tunnel vision in dealing with indoor air quality/environmental issues.  Mr. Kladder article “Asbestos? What Asbestos? I’m a Radon Guy!” discusses the dangers of tunnel vision.  Mr. Kladder discusses that their are few activities involved in radon mitigation that would not impact asbestos containing materials.  He then provides several war stories of issues related to this topic.  In many ways the same statement can be made to those of us in the asbestos field.  We tend to get tunnel vision regarding asbestos and forget that lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or, even for that matter, radon may also be a concern.  For example, lead paint could be on asbestos siding or asbestos spackles/joint compounds, and window caulk, in addition to containing asbestos, may also contain lead and/or PCBs.  It is important for indoor air quality/environmental professional to keep abreast of the field and to consider the potential possibilities of various environmental hazards being present.  

Related articles

• New York State Releases FAQ on Asbestos Analysis (futureenv.blogspot.com)
• Indoor Air Pollution and how it affects your Long-term health (easyayurveda.com)
• Board Member of Queens Cooperative Has An Asbestos Question (futureenv.blogspot.com)
• Charted Average Levels of Radon Exposure in the Home (digitalnewsgathering.wordpress.com)
• Radon (7thstreetannarbor.wordpress.com)
• Invisible and Odorless, Radon Poses Risks to Lungs (nlm.nih.gov)

safety
asbestos
mold
lead
indoor air quality
occupational safety and health
occupational safety
OSHA
EPA
asbestos consulting
OSHA consulting
indoor air quality consulting
Long Island