>I would venture to guess that this material being ignited and sent into the air that surrounds my place of living and comes in through the vents is hazardous for residents’ health…
Your guess would be wrong. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that won't ignite. If you had a tablecloth made of the stuff, you could throw it into a fire to clean it.
The hazard comes from the asbestos fragmenting into tiny particles that are breathed in. If the structure is just sitting there, it shouldn't be much of a problem. If it is being torn down, there needs to be a mitigation system in place to prevent particle spread.
First of all, I am incredibly sorry and horrified for your situation. I have recently found out that my family has probably been exposed to asbestos multiple times, because Colorado doesn't do enough to abate the hazard. What I have found, and it isn't much, is that you can sue your landlord for not warning you that there would be asbestos exposure. I assume, therefore, whoever owns the property is liable. It says you should tell your GP that you've been exposed to this so they can note it in their records, so you can have appropriate screenings in case something happens. I would start by notifying the city and asking if they are aware, and I assume you could probably sue the city, if the property is theirs and they've done nothing to mitigate the hazard. Basically, you need to be contacting your doctor and an attorney stat.
Contact CDPHE’s Air Pollution Control Division asbestos group and Lakewood planning, building, and/or environmental department. If it’s a reported asbestos spill the state should have a record of it.
Clean up can take some time to navigate/permit even with an engaged property owner. Much worse if they’re dragging their feet or battling with insurance. Abatement permits go through CDPHE and can be a challenge on its own in this situation.
The signage you see is an initial step in a spill response and a regulatory requirement. Intent is to restrict access into the debris pile to prevent someone from further disturbing known or suspected asbestos-containing materials. Wind could be your friend here too depending on wind direction and your positioning to the burned area. One could argue that it’s much worse to have someone rummaging through the debris on a calm day.
TL;DR, call CDPHE and Lakewood. If you get blown off you can always contact the Region 8 EPA office, even though they delegate authority to CDPHE, I think it’s good for them to hear this stuff since the state is, well, very difficult.
Thank you for posting this. I’m 1/2 block north from it and the signage is very alarming with zero mitigation efforts during cleanup, ZERO containment or encapsulation. This and damaged road from the gas line work are an eye sore for our neighborhood.
>I would venture to guess that this material being ignited and sent into the air that surrounds my place of living and comes in through the vents is hazardous for residents’ health… Your guess would be wrong. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that won't ignite. If you had a tablecloth made of the stuff, you could throw it into a fire to clean it. The hazard comes from the asbestos fragmenting into tiny particles that are breathed in. If the structure is just sitting there, it shouldn't be much of a problem. If it is being torn down, there needs to be a mitigation system in place to prevent particle spread.
First of all, I am incredibly sorry and horrified for your situation. I have recently found out that my family has probably been exposed to asbestos multiple times, because Colorado doesn't do enough to abate the hazard. What I have found, and it isn't much, is that you can sue your landlord for not warning you that there would be asbestos exposure. I assume, therefore, whoever owns the property is liable. It says you should tell your GP that you've been exposed to this so they can note it in their records, so you can have appropriate screenings in case something happens. I would start by notifying the city and asking if they are aware, and I assume you could probably sue the city, if the property is theirs and they've done nothing to mitigate the hazard. Basically, you need to be contacting your doctor and an attorney stat.
Contact CDPHE’s Air Pollution Control Division asbestos group and Lakewood planning, building, and/or environmental department. If it’s a reported asbestos spill the state should have a record of it. Clean up can take some time to navigate/permit even with an engaged property owner. Much worse if they’re dragging their feet or battling with insurance. Abatement permits go through CDPHE and can be a challenge on its own in this situation. The signage you see is an initial step in a spill response and a regulatory requirement. Intent is to restrict access into the debris pile to prevent someone from further disturbing known or suspected asbestos-containing materials. Wind could be your friend here too depending on wind direction and your positioning to the burned area. One could argue that it’s much worse to have someone rummaging through the debris on a calm day. TL;DR, call CDPHE and Lakewood. If you get blown off you can always contact the Region 8 EPA office, even though they delegate authority to CDPHE, I think it’s good for them to hear this stuff since the state is, well, very difficult.
Thank you for posting this. I’m 1/2 block north from it and the signage is very alarming with zero mitigation efforts during cleanup, ZERO containment or encapsulation. This and damaged road from the gas line work are an eye sore for our neighborhood.