A for Asbestos Can Lead to I for Indictment
Why homeowners should take caution!
Ok we all know that Asbestos is bad for you, in fact it can and does cause Cancer.
However I hear many times from people that after such a long time, it’s no longer active etc… Well I’m not sure where people get their information from, but you really should heed caution here! Asbestos is a CANCER CAUSING material. It takes only one fiber embedded into your lungs to give you Mesothelomia.
Asbestos is in many things, not just found on basement pipes. It can be in Vermiculite Insulation, Siding that looks like it has ridges, small vinyl looking tiles that usually measure 9x9 and some roofing tiles as well. It is very important that while doing homeowner repairs that you identify and have a professional remove and properly dispose of the product. This is extremely important because there are legal ramifications for illegally removing of and disposing this hazardous product and guess what your neighbors will rat you out if you do!
I recently had a listing in a two-unit condo building where the downstairs owner had put trash bags in the windows and had removed all the Asbestos herself, stuffed it into garbage bags and took it to her parents house to dispose of. The neighbors had a hunch and called the EPA who immediately sealed off the area and started a very intense legal process against this woman. She unfortunately also illegally dumped the material at her parents’ house so she involved them in this mess too. The ironic part is that she was a REALTOR who worked for a big franchise company.
The cost of removal and clean up in the end is less money than the legal ramifications and legal fees. You can go to jail.
If you are getting your house ready for sale and you think it would be a good idea to remove the asbestos from the basement so as to not concern buyers, THINK AGAIN! You will only create airborne dust particles of asbestos, contaminate your own home, put your family at risk and get into a lot of legal trouble.
So next you see something that you think is suspect, call a professional or you might end up in the clink!
For more information go to www.epa.gov/asbestos/
Jim Rizoli
1:30 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
Heidi
Do you honestly think people want to pay thousands of dollars to have this removed? This asbestos scare is just another big scam....(LikeTitle 5) for septic issues. That's the biggest scam out there.
Sure it's the law....but as this women did she didn't want to get ripped off.
Granted doing it yourself might cause some health problems for you in the future but having no money in your pocket now will cause even more.
jim@ccfiile.com
Myd Nevins
10:22 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
The "some health problems in the future" that you mention just so happen to include death.
Joe Rizoli
1:59 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
The Asbestos removal team for the Rizoli family back in the 1960's was the Rizoli kids. We swept, breathed and were surrounded by this stuff when we took out our old heating system in our cellar before all these laws were passed. Do we have cancer? Not yet. Could we get cancer? Of course, but I'll probable die for other reasons before that happens. Why is it some get cancer supposedly from this substance and others, while breathing it while young have as yet a problem? Inquiring minds want to know.....
Apparently big business saw an opportunity to make a bundle of money here and now asbestos is the Bin laden of health issues for homeowners. Why don't you look into Fluoride in the water. On toothpaste warning labels you are thus warned that if you swallow a pea size of toothpaste you are to practically call 911. That SAME amount of Fluoride is in a eight ounce glass of fluoridated water.....what's up with that?
Joe Rizoli
Brenda Crawshaw
3:40 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
"The Asbestos removal team for the Rizoli family back in the 1960's was the Rizoli kids. We swept, breathed and were surrounded by this stuff when we took out our old heating system in our cellar before all these laws were passed"
Hmmmmmm, maybe cancer isn't the only harmful effect of asbestos.......
Myd Nevins
10:06 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
I'm guessing lead paint chips were involved in your youth as well.
Junpin Jack Flash
3:34 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
Guys you're sounding silly. Asbestos causes cancer. Title 5 is there to protect homebuyers. Your ignorance is irritating. Your misinformation could be harmful.
Heidi Zizza
5:25 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
My point here, however, is to let people know that if they remove Asbestos they can not only put themselves in danger of getting Cancer, but wind up in a lot of legal trouble, the cost of which would outweigh the legal removal. Not everyone who smokes get cancer either but all we know it causes it.
Myd Nevins
10:24 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
To add to your story, there are more materials that could contain asbestos. Its not just the 9x9 but some 12x12 tiles contain it as well. Even the mastic can contain it. Then there's rolled flooring. Textured ceilings, joint compound, boiler gaskets, vibration cloth, fire curtains, glaze and caulking and even ceiling tiles can potentially contain various percentages of asbestos. Depending of its consition, certain asbestos-containing materials are more likely to cause a health risk than others.
Despite the Rizoli's claims that asbestos is just a scam, it can be a serious matter. The health effects generally take 15-20 years to show up. You might be old or even dead by the time the symptoms show up. But your children won't be. And its them that get can exposed to contamination by a Rizoli-inspired removal. It should be removed by a licensed professional under containment.
Seriously.. yet another instance where listening to a Rizoli can be harmful to your health
Jim Rizoli
5:34 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
I notice one of the effects of asbestos removal back in the 60,s is a clear and open mind...
Maybe more should be exposed to it....especially here.
Flash man....no comment about flouride? I guess we're wrong there too?
Flouride is a POISON! But I guess you have no problem drinking it.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Brenda Crawshaw
8:25 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
*Anything* - or anyone for that matter - can be toxic in large enough quantities.
Chris Gagen
12:45 am on Saturday, March 10, 2012
Jim, as always... great posts!
Cheryl Tully Stoll
9:22 am on Saturday, March 10, 2012
Misters Rizoli: You have claimed that many of your actions in the community have been based on the fact that others are "breaking the law." You've used this excuse countless times to justify your views and actions. This article was a cautionary tale about NOT breaking the law and a public health hazard. For some reason you have chosen to make a federal case out of it (pardon the pun). Gentlemen, you can't have it both ways. Ms. Zizza wrote a very informative and responsible article that you should appreciate if you actually believe in following the law.
Jim Rizoli
1:08 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Cheryl....I agree....but like anything written there are other things to consider.
In regards to breaking the LAW let me count the ways...... our police, other town services the list goes on. Should I start.......
In regards to law in Framingham....there is NO law, s each person does what he/she feels is rght in their own eyes. The only thing you have to be worried about is being caught and even if that happens no one really cares, unless you pizz off someone who can beat you down.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Sharon S
12:45 pm on Saturday, March 10, 2012
For anyone who thinks this is not a serious matter, you are sadly mistaken. I lost my mother to mesothelioma almost five years ago. She was 69 years old and she was exposed as a child when her father worked as an auto mechanic replacing asbestos brakes. She was exposed again as an adult during the early years of her marriage, when my father worked as a construction worker. She only survived fifteen months after her initial diagnosis because the symptoms are silent until it's almost too late. She suffered horribly, and through no fault of her own.
I often wonder why mother was inflicted with this terrible disease through second hand exposure, while my father remains healthy despite being in direct contact with asbestos. I also wonder if I will ever develop this disease, or will any of my siblings develop it, since we were all exposed as children.
My mother was exposed prior to there being any knowledge about the dangers of this product, as were many of us. The laws in place are there to protect us from future exposure. Anyone who thinks this is a joke, please consider the reality that people do die from exposure, and you do not have to rub your face in it.
Ignoring the law is not just illegal, it is irresponsible and immoral!
Jim Rizoli
1:48 pm on Saturday, March 10, 2012
Sharon....Sorry about the loss of your mother due to Asbestos.
But you prove my case....some people can be exposed to it and have no problems while others will die quickly.
Again no one is minimizing the problems with asbestos.....but, there are worse things out there to kill people. Why do women get more cancer than men? That is the question you should be investigating....I have my theories.
By the way driving without a seatbelt is probably more dangerous today than getting cancer....Do you wear one? Would you consuder that irresponsible and immoral.
Jim@ccfiile.com