Asbestos sewer pipe to be removed to prevent mesothelioma development
An asbestos-ridden sewer line will be removed from Tyson’s Corner in McLean, Virginia, reports The Washington Post. The work will also close two lanes on the East side of Jones Branch Drive. While abatement work is underway, traffic will be shifted to the West side.
The traffic shift will allow construction workers to replace an 850-foot asbestos sewer pipe. Workers will use anti-contamination clothing and respirators in order to prevent exposure to the toxic material.
Asbestos is a highly hazardous material, most commonly found in older homes, within drywall and roofing. Exposure to the material has been known to cause mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Mesothelioma is the most aggressive asbestos-related cancer, known to affect 3,000 Americans each year.
Symptoms of the disease, such as chest pain and shortness of breath, lie dormant for 10 to 50 years. Due to the disease’s extended latency period, mesothelioma doctors tend to diagnose patients in the later stages of their disease. Once diagnosed, patients generally undergo palliative treatments such as mesothelioma chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.
Construction workers will remove and seal 20-foot sections of the asbestos-ridden pipe. The pipes must be sealed in order to prevent any of the asbestos from becoming airborne. The sections will be removed during daylight hours only.
A new asbestos free pipe will be installed once the old piping is out. The work is scheduled to begin in early 2011, and conclude by 2013.