Hazardous rocks
El Dorado Hills residents are thinking the U.S. Geological Survey is the Grinch who stole Christmas. They had wanted a clean bill of health from the scientific community investigating the affects of asbestos in the Serpentine Rock scattered across their community. What they got was the completed findings and publication from the U.S. Geological Survey, confirming that the prestigious foothill community is sitting on a large bed of hazardous asbestos. The USGS on Tuesday confirmed the earlier finding of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency of a “particularly dangerous” kind of asbestos on playgrounds in El Dorado Hills.
The EPA study found that children and adults in El Dorado Hills can significantly raise their exposure to breathable asbestos particles simply from the dust kicked up riding a bicycle or playing basketball on outdoor courts.
The main public health concern related to such exposure is mesothelioma, an inoperable and almost always fatal cancer of the membranes lining the chest and other body cavities. About 1,000 of the 31,000 El Dorado Hills residents packed the Community Park’s gymnasium Tuesday to learn more from federal scientists.
It’s too early to tell the affect on home values with the negative finding of the USGS but I suspect it will not add to the desirability of living is the area. For the last three years most real estate agents have been advising their El Dorado Hills buyers about the “potential” dangers of living above Serpentine Rock. The study now confirms what the EPA had suspected in their earlier findings and our “potential” is now a “confirmed” finding.
There has never been a reported case of mesothelioma attributed to the rocks in El Dorado Hills but local officials are taking no chances are have been involved in mitigation measures. Serpentine Rock is the official state rock and is common in 35 of California’s 58 counties. Left undisturbed, serpentine rocks don’t present a health hazard and are frequently used for landscaping.
Wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I will be back on-line Tuesday.
The EPA study found that children and adults in El Dorado Hills can significantly raise their exposure to breathable asbestos particles simply from the dust kicked up riding a bicycle or playing basketball on outdoor courts.
The main public health concern related to such exposure is mesothelioma, an inoperable and almost always fatal cancer of the membranes lining the chest and other body cavities. About 1,000 of the 31,000 El Dorado Hills residents packed the Community Park’s gymnasium Tuesday to learn more from federal scientists.
It’s too early to tell the affect on home values with the negative finding of the USGS but I suspect it will not add to the desirability of living is the area. For the last three years most real estate agents have been advising their El Dorado Hills buyers about the “potential” dangers of living above Serpentine Rock. The study now confirms what the EPA had suspected in their earlier findings and our “potential” is now a “confirmed” finding.
There has never been a reported case of mesothelioma attributed to the rocks in El Dorado Hills but local officials are taking no chances are have been involved in mitigation measures. Serpentine Rock is the official state rock and is common in 35 of California’s 58 counties. Left undisturbed, serpentine rocks don’t present a health hazard and are frequently used for landscaping.
Wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I will be back on-line Tuesday.
posted by Ken Calhoon at 8:15 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home