Environmental Protection Agency To Test Sites For Asbestos Exposure -- MesoLink.org -- 08-17-04

It has been reported the US Environmental Protection Agency will commence tests in to asbestos exposure levels at two sites next month.

The tests will be carried out in El Dorado Hills, and are also planned for the New York Creek running trail.

The tests are designed to measure the exposure of residents to naturally occurring asbestos, and a large part of the focus will be on the exposure of kids that play in the areas in question.

The air and soil in the test areas will be monitored and assessed, as fully protected and equipped government officials simulate the actions of kids that play there in order to get a more accurate picture of their possible exposure to naturally occurring asbestos in these areas.

The Environmental Protection Agency have confirmed that they have no evidence that these sites even contain asbestos, but are basing the necessity to perform these tests on the sites’ location, which is close to the West Bear Mountains Fault. Their concern is that the contamination could arise from the asbestos build-up in the cracks of the mountains.

It is hoped that the tests will give the EPA an idea of whether the sites are contaminated and also to what level. They need to ascertain whether kids and residents have been inhaling asbestos fibres, for how long, and at what levels.