Hurricane Satellite Weather Tracking - View Hurricane Weather Track

Beach Season Kicks Off at Illinois' Asbestos-Contaminated Beaches

Waukegan, Ill. (PRWEB) June 4, 2008 -- Considering the Illinois shoreline has an extensive history of asbestos contamination, the recent start of the 2008 beach season along Lake Michigan has prompted a local conservation group to issue advice on how beachgoers can minimize inhalation and ingestion of toxic asbestos fibers.

Located in Waukegan, Illinois, the Johns-Manville Asbestos Superfund Site is home to one million tons of asbestos waste. The 150-acre site was used as an asbestos disposal area and harbors approximately three million cubic yards of off-specification materials and wastewater sludge. Bordered by Lake Michigan and Illinois Beach State Park, water contaminated with asbestos fibers is periodically released from this site into the lake. Currents transport the fibers southward, which wash up along beaches stretching as far south as Chicago's Oak Street Beach.

According to tests performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2002, water released from the site contaminates the lake with millions of asbestos fibers per liter of water. Dredging operations located immediately offshore has compounded the problem by disturbing settled asbestos in the lake's sediment. The disturbed fibers break free of the sediment and are subsequently washed ashore. Some of this dredged sediment was even used by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to replenish sand lost due to beach erosion at Illinois Beach State Park.

A major concern is the fact that much of the asbestos contamination is tremolite asbestos, which is considered to be several hundred times more hazardous to human health than asbestos fibers commonly found in urban settings. Exposure to tremolite asbestos has been strongly linked to the development of Mesothelioma (http://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/) cancer. Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive cancer that attacks the body's mesothelial cells, which compose the mesothelium lining that protects organs and body cavities. Very few cases of mesothelioma have ever been cured, putting the mortality rate at nearly 100 percent.

Public officials have claimed the present levels of asbestos are not a threat to public health, but Jeffery Camplin, an environmental/health safety engineer and nationally known asbestos expert, refutes these claims. Requested by the Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society to review studies performed by the EPA, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as well as a contractor hired by the Chicago Park District, Camplin found the studies were "deeply flawed and severely lacking in standardized scientific protocols."

In an effort to help prevent future cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, the Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society is offering tips to beachgoers to minimize the inhalation and ingestion of potentially deadly asbestos fibers. The society advises against eating and drinking at contaminated beaches, as well as disturbing the sand in any way. Visitors of the affected beaches are also recommended to rigorously shower and clean belongings before leaving, as asbestos fibers can be found anywhere beach sand reaches. The society also warns against certain cleaning methods, such as shaking off towels or dusting shoes off, which can release asbestos fibers into the air.

Concerned beachgoers are likely wondering what, if any, activities are free from the risk of exposure to asbestos at Lake Michigan's beaches. According to Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society President Paul Kakuris, "Waves wash fibers onto the beaches where sand releases asbestos during beach activities, exposing millions of unwitting victims to deadly asbestos fibers while corrupt public officials and polluters' consultants rigged studies, using government funds." Naturally, the society strongly advises against anyone visiting Lake Michigan's contaminated beaches.

###

MORE ARTICLES:

Audissey Guides Presents iPod Walking Tours of New Orleans and Miami Beach
"The New Orleans Audissey" narrated by New Orleans poet/ street musician features hidden sites, French Quarter hot spots, and ambient recordings of the Big Easy. "The Miami Beach Audissey" narrated by Miami bikini model and bartender features sexy sites and salsa soundtrack. Insider audio tours also available in Boston, Chicago and Seattle for iPod/MP3 players.

Leading Tarp Manufacturer Prepares For Major 2008 Hurricane Weather Season
A1 Tarps, a California-based manufacturer of tarps and hurricane preparedness supplies prepares for "above average" 2008 hurricane season in the Atlantic basin with 15 named storms predicted between June 1st and November 30th.

Colorado Call Center Management Corporation Announces New Call Center Tracking Solutions and Scorecard Software
Colorado Call Center Management Corporation (CCCM), a call center and business efficiency consulting firm is announcing a New Scorecard Software that will increase the efficiency of your contact center and save you 10-20% in center labor costs.

Pensacola Lawyer Launches ‘Florida Hurricane Hotline™’ for 2006 Hurricane Season
Attorney Samuel Bearman has launched the Florida Hurricane Hotline™ to help answer people's questions on hurricane law, insurance and other hurricane-related questions. The toll free number is (800) 760-6065 and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hurricane Katrina's Delicious Aftermath in New Orleans Wins an International Award
Author Amy Cyrex Sins has recently been honored with an international cookbook award from Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Post-Katrina, award-winning cookbook from the Big Easy gets International attention; features Cajun, Creole, and Louisiana home cooking; famous restaurant recipes; and stories of hope from those who love New Orleans while helping charity in the process.

Hurricane Season Easier to Weather with Launch of Generatorstore.com
New Internet site offers sales and delivery of popular Guardian and Generac emergency power generators to consumers and businesses nationwide.

Hurricane Hunters and Grid Hurricane Tracking Concept
The United States Air Force has a special team of half insane and half scientific modern day warriors. Knights of the sky willing to do the unthinkable; they fly directly into hurricanes; on purpose? Pretty brave stuff indeed.

July 2005: Hurricane Forecasts for Weather Traders
Tropical Storm Arlene formed as a tropical depression on June 8, 2005 near 83 West Longitude and 17 North Latitude. Although Dr.

New Orleans Hurricane Battle Zone for Virtual Reality Training
The City of New Orleans looks like a battlezone, we have bodies floating in the streets, snipers shooting at police and looters in gun stores. Although this Hurricane Katrina is a complete tragedy, you could have a better "Movie Set" for a great footage for Virtual Training Simulation.

LegalView Mesothelioma Blog Reports that Asbestos Exposure Slows Hurricane Katrina Cleanup in New Orleans Parish
Cleanup from Hurricane Katrina continues to be slow because of possible asbestos exposure. In a New Orleans parish, officials have determined to use a controlled burn rather than to demolish and move debris to a landfill, which could increase the potential for asbestos contamination.

Hurricane Season 2007 Satellite Phone Rental Packages Now Available
All Road Communications announces special package deals for satellite phone rentals for the upcoming 2007 Hurricane Season.

Weather Decision Technologies Unveils Automated Weather Warning System for International Airports
Dubai International Airport is first venue to deploy aviation weather decision support system.

Vino at the View - The Beginning: Wine Tasting with an Unbridled View of Las Vegas
View 215 presents its first ever, Seasonal Las Vegas wine tasting event, "Vino at the View - The Beginning".

Dish Network Satellite Tv Brings A World Of Viewing Opportunities
Gone are the days when all you needed was a rabbit ear antenna to bring the most popular television stations into your home. Television has evolved from a pastime where viewers were content to watch whatever was on to an obsession where people feel addicted to particular shows and cannot go without seeing them.

Results of Global-View.com Monthly Forex Tracking Survey
The results for the Global-View.com monthly forex sentiment survey conducted on December 3-5. The results show U.S. dollar sentiment deteriorated vs. the euro and jpy.