We all know the philosophical question: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? The whole sick building question is pretty much the same question: If nobody is sick in the building, is it a sick building?
Health reactions to a building environment are dependent upon the occupants. When it comes to potential environmental problems, we are each the sum of our genetics, health history and current health. The buildings don’t get sick, the people do.
It’s like Mr. Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood would say at the end of every show: “There's no person in the whole world like you”. That also goes for your health and what factors can influence your health.
As an example, Legionella has a 5% infection rate. That means that 95 out of 100 occupants of a building harboring the bacteria will not get Legionnaires Disease. That could mean that the building may never be identified as a “Sick Building”
What can Make the Occupants of a Building Sick?
It can be mold, off-gassing from the thousands of new and untested products we put into homes, combustion or industrial gasses or the myriad of bacteria, viruses and other contagions that can be brought into any building. That complexity of possible causes of illness complicated by individual occupant reactions to different exposures makes environmental investigations “CSI for buildings”
Environmental Risks and Hazards are not a New Problem
We shouldn’t ignore the old issues of centuries ago. Leviticus 14 of the Bible discusses mold in homes. World history includes plagues and diseases that almost wiped out major segments of past civilizations.
We can only eliminate environmental hazards that can affect people when we identify them. We need to put up our hands and demand assessment and testing when health reactions lead us to suspect them.
We now know that water problems can be a source of mold. Sewage can harbor the diseases that devastated civilizations. We have developed understanding about those issues, but still often fall short in avoiding these contaminants in individual cases.
Lead is credited as a major factor in the fall of the Roman Empire, yet we have lead in the water supply of major cities like Flint and Pittsburgh. Imported dark color plastic toys, decorations, mascara, china dishes and crayons are still often sources of toxic lead.
If we took a poll, probably a vast majority of people would recognize asbestos as a hazard. We know that it gets ripped out of schools and other public buildings. We recognize that people die from asbestos and that there are big class action lawsuits about the mineral.
There is a lot more we should know about this hazard previously thought of as a miracle product.
The use of asbestos dates back to the Greeks and Romans who used it to make cloth. It is a natural mineral, which varies by name and color depending upon where it is mined. There are 6 different minerals all lumped into the category of asbestos.
Asbestos is resistant to heat and most chemicals. The tough fibers were used as reinforcement and for heat resistance in many products for industry, homes and commercial buildings. It is a sneaky carcinogen because it was easy to add the mineral to a host of products that can disguise its presence to the naked eye. The reason for its widespread use is that it saved lives from fire hazards and improved the characteristics of many products.
Asbestos is Real Personal for Millions of Workers
You might scratch your head on how this happened. There was evidence of the medical risks of asbestos as early as 1920, but workers were not told of the dangers until the mid 1970’s.
Millions of workers including my father have died of asbestos related cancer. As a young man, I was exposed to asbestos in everything from joint compound to insulation and ceiling tiles while working in the family construction company.
With that said, my work as an asbestos testing professional is highly personal. Asbestos exposure still occurs today in many products and when it is removed by unsuspecting workers. Asbestos is still heavily mined in Russia and does find its way into products being manufactured today.
Asbestos in the News and on TV
Within the last two months, asbestos made the news when the WTDV reporters found that samples of a highlighter makeup called “Just Shine Shimmer Powder” that is sold in Justice stores contained asbestos. By the way, this product targeted for young people also contained a handful of toxic heavy metals.
Another example of possible asbestos that appears regularly on HGTV is popcorn or stipple ceiling finish material. Up until 1999, some manufacturers were adding asbestos to that material. Aspiring homeowners love to remove texture from ceilings which in turn contaminates a building with asbestos fibers.
In older homes, asbestos can be found in a many areas of the home, from roof tiles and decorative ceilings to wall insulation and vinyl floors. Below is a list of some of the most common asbestos containing materials.
August 1 Is World Lung Cancer Day
"They could die an untimely death in their 30s or 40s because of the exposure in this product," an expert says
What could possibly be worse than finding out the makeup you use contains asbestos? Finding out the makeup your child uses contains asbestos.
The news team at WTVD, an ABC station in Durham, North Carolina, is reporting that its recent investigation into the ingredients of cosmetics aimed at tweens has revealed frightening results about a product sold at Justice, a national retail chain selling girls' apparel. According to the Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro, Just Shine Shimmer Powder tested positive for dangerous asbestos.
"In this powder designed for children, they could die an untimely death in their 30s or 40s because of the exposure to asbestos in this product," Sean Fitzgerald, the lab's Director of Research and Analytical Services, told WTVD.
Specifically, the lab found tremolite asbestos fibers, which contaminated the talc used in the Just Shine Shimmer Powder. Fitzgerald says the mineral reserve from which the talc was derived should have been tested for contamination; if it had been tested, it never would have been used by the manufacturer because the FDA prohibits asbestos-contaminated talc in cosmetics.
"Fibers like this get into your breathing zone, and when you inhale, these fibers can get into the lung and go to the very bottom of the lung, and that is exactly where you have the greatest likelihood of asbestos to cause disease," Fitzgerald said. "Children should not be allowed to breathe it. If a 10-year-old inhaled this fiber today, when he's 50 years old, it's still there." According to the National Cancer Institute, it can take at least 20 years for malignant mesothelioma to form after asbestos exposure.
As if the asbestos findings aren't scary enough, the lab also found the heavy metals barium, chromium, selenium and lead in Just Shine Shimmer Powder.
"The more lead you have in your system, the more negative health effects you're going to have," Fitzgerald explained. "Any amount of lead can be absorbed through the skin and go into your blood, and contribute to your overall poisoning of your blood."
You can find the station's full report here.
When WTVD's Diane Wilson showed Justice the lab results, the company issued a statement: "Justice is committed to the safety and integrity of our products. Upon receiving the inquiry from WTVD, we immediately began an independent investigation. We cannot speculate regarding the matter until we have more information. Nonetheless, out of an abundance of caution, we have stopped the sale of this product while we investigate."
Birnur Aral, Ph.D., Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Health, Beauty and Environmental Sciences Lab, stresses that instances like this are examples of how cosmetics need to be regulated as tightly as pharmaceuticals and food.
"The Personal Care Safety Act, a bipartisan bill, has gained support from both small companies and giants of the industry as well as advocacy groups, and it has the best chance of modernizing our outdated cosmetics laws," Dr. Aral says. "Good Housekeeping has supported the bill for over a year. While it is not a cure-all in my opinion, it is a very good start toward safer cosmetics." (You can voice your own support at a petition here.)
Just Shine Shimmer Powder is no longer available for purchase on the brand's website, but it has not been added to their recalls section yet. Fitzgerald urges those who own the powder to stop using it and to "treat it like a deadly poison, because it is." The news station also notes in their report that other Justice products they tested did not come back positive for asbestos.