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Organization Provides Asbestos Tips for Oak Street Beachgoers
Asbestos safety risk expert, Jeffery C. Camplin, at the request of the Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society, has compiled a publication called “Asbestos Tips for Beach Visitors”, aimed at visitors to Chicago’s Oak Street Beach, where amphibole asbestos contamination has been an issue for the past several years.
According to a press release for the organization, for decades, “trillions of asbestos fibers were released daily and carried southward by Lake Michigan’s currents from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Johns-Manville asbestos Superfund site in Waukegan, IL.
“This bungled clean-up attempt has contaminated the entire Illinois shoreline and polluted the drinking water supply,” the press release declares.
In Camplin’s publication, he offers the following advice:
1. Avoid Eating and Drinking at the Beach - Asbestos and amphibole fibers can contaminate your hands, food, and containers. Eat in picnic areas away from the beach.
2. Avoid Disturbing the Sand - Microscopic asbestos can be released from the sand when agitated. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has found that amphibole asbestos fibers can be released from wet sand and become airborne.
3. Shower Off and Clean Belongings Prior to Leaving the Beach - The deadly amphibole asbestos fibers can be found wherever beach sand can go. Wash your whole body including hair, ears, and under fingernails. Pets should also be washed down prior to leaving the lakefront and beaches.
4. Carefully Clean or Isolate Items Used at the Beach - Don’t track material that could contain asbestos through the house. Take care when shaking out towels and blankets that may have come into contact with sand. Remove all beach clothing before entering your car or home. Launder clothing, blankets, and towels separately. Store shoes and hard to clean items outside.
5. Avoid Certain Cleaning Methods - Do not dust, sweep, or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos. According to the U.S. EPA, “These steps will disturb tiny asbestos fibers and may release them into the air.” The use of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtered vacuums is recommended for cleaning up toxic dust and fibers.
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