An added danger to moving storm debris | News | kmaland.com - KMAland

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(KMAland) -- With the devastating Derecho that tore through Iowa many are left cleaning up the debris, this could prove to be dangerous.

It’s important for all who are handling the debris from the storm to be careful. As many of the structural debris such as flooring, insulation and other debris has asbestos.

“A lot of focus early on was on the tree cleanup as well as a focus on restoring power. Now we are seeing a shift towards assessing structural damage,” air quality supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Brian Hutchins said.

When moving items that contain asbestos it will release tiny fibers into the air that can then attach to human lungs. This can cause problems down the road such as lung cancer, lung disease and other serious health risks.

“It does attack the lungs and respiratory system specifically. It’s a known carcinogen and it has been used in a lot of building materials. It’s out there so we just want to remind people to take some extra precaution here when cleaning up this material and keeping everybody safe,” Hutchins said.

Here are some helpful tips:

• Only disturb construction materials that must be removed, and minimize any excess breakage, to prevent the release of dust and fibers into the air
• Wet any materials suspected to contain asbestos to minimize dust (make sure there are no electrical hazards before wetting)
• Do not burn suspect asbestos-containing building products.
• Contact the local landfill or transfer station to determine proper disposal requirements and follow those guidelines.

It is also important to notify the DNR before working on a public or commercial building as it is a federal rule. Hutchins also had one last tip for all clean up crews.

“The disturbance of the material is what causes that fiber release so minimize that to any extent possible. Also avoid breaking these materials up the more it is broken up the more chance that those fibers can be released into the air,” Hutchinson said.

To find out more go to www.iowadnr.gov/disaster and to hear the full interview with Hutchins click below.

Thank you for reading kmaland.com At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.

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