Naturally Occurring Asbestos: The Danger in Your Backyard
Technically, all asbestos fibers are naturally occurring. Asbestos fibers can be found naturally in rock formations nationwide.
You should be cautious if you’re breaking up or disturbing rocks in your backyard or as part of your job because you may release cancer-causing asbestos fibers into the air.
What is Naturally Occurring Asbestos?
Naturally occurring asbestos are fibrous minerals found in rocks or soil and released into the air by human activities (like breaking or crushing asbestos-containing stones) or weathering processes. If it’s not disturbed and fibers aren’t released, there’s no health risk, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Asbestos is often found in ultramafic rock, such as serpentine rock, and near fault zones. Typically, these rocks may be from less than 1% to 25% asbestos.
When asbestos fibers become airborne, they can be inhaled or swallowed by anyone in the area. They may remain stuck in your lungs or other organs for years or decades, which can cause inflammation or genetic changes to nearby tissue that result in cancer tumors, including mesothelioma.
The Dangers of Naturally Occurring Asbestos
Naturally occurring asbestos is equally dangerous to any other asbestos containing material. There is no such thing as “safe” asbestos.
When inhaled or swallowed, asbestos fibers can get stuck in the lungs and other parts of the body, leading to severe, disabling, and fatal conditions that may take decades to develop.
Asbestos’ strong and durable fibers withstand the body’s attempts to destroy them, causing scar tissue, inflammation, and genetic mutations that cause cancer and other illnesses, including:
- Asbestosis: This chronic lung condition is caused by asbestos fibers, which results in severe lung tissue scarring and inflammation. It leads to breathing problems and decreased lung function
- Lung Cancer: Asbestos exposure greatly increases the risk of developing lung cancer. It can take years or decades for asbestos-related lung cancer to develop
- Pleural Mesothelioma: This is a rare and aggressive cancer primarily affecting the lining of the lungs (pleura) and chest cavity
Mesothelioma can also affect the linings of the heart, abdominal organs, and abdominal cavity. Larynx and ovarian cancers are also linked to asbestos exposure.
Asbestos is a danger to those exposed to naturally occurring fibers, who worked directly with asbestos-containing products, and family members may be exposed to fibers when work clothes contaminated with them are worn home.
How Do I Find Out If Rocks Contain Asbestos?
The only way to find out for sure is to have them professionally tested by a lab that processes asbestos samples.
Visual identification is impossible because asbestos fibers are too small to be seen by the naked eye.
Only trained professionals using a polarized light microscope can confirm if asbestos is present in naturally occurring rock formations.
Activities That Can Release Dangerous Naturally Occurring Asbestos Fibers into the Air
If rocks and soil in the area contain asbestos, the ATSDR states there are several ways you could release fibers into the air:
- Working in a garden
- Digging or shoveling dirt
- Landscaping
- Sweeping or leaf-blowing
- Plowing or planting
- Excavating or using a backhoe
- Rock drilling or using a jackhammer
- Driving over unpaved surfaces
- Walking or running on gravel roads
- Running underground cable or pipe
- Disturbing dirt on unpaved surfaces
- Felling trees in contaminated dirt
- Blasting, chipping, hammering, drilling, crushing, loading, hauling, and dumping rock
- Working in railroad or highway construction or maintenance
- Operating heavy equipment where the soil contains asbestos fibers
Given how virtually anything you do with dirt or rocks could be a problem, you should have soil and stones professionally tested if you have any concerns about naturally occurring asbestos.
Where is Naturally Occurring Asbestos Located?
The US Geological Survey (USGS) mapped where in the US substantial outcroppings occur. Their map of the central US shows no known naturally occurring asbestos in Kentucky. The nearest locations are in southeastern Missouri, western Virginia, and western North Carolina.
The heaviest concentrations of naturally occurring asbestos generally run the length of the Appalachian Mountains, Montana, California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and the North and South Coast Ranges.
Why You Should Hire Satterley & Kelley, PLLC for Your Asbestos Case
If you’re diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related cancer because of your asbestos exposure, you may be entitled to compensation for what you’ve endured. This includes physical and mental pain and suffering, financial costs, medical bills, and how the disease impacts your relationships.
You need a law firm with experience representing victims taking legal action against the asbestos industry. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys have helped asbestos victims for more than 25 years.
We have relationships with the best experts in the world to help us prove that asbestos caused your injury and the physical, emotional, psychological, and financial harm you suffered.
Call Us Today for a Free Consultation
Those diagnosed with asbestos-related illness may be entitled to compensation for what they’ve endured. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys are your boots on the ground if you or a family member suffers from mesothelioma or an asbestos-related health condition in Kentucky. Call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to arrange a free initial consultation with a Satterley & Kelley PLLC lawyer.