Asbestos Compost Heaps

Asbestos debris is hazardous to health. Research into safe methods of disposal is necessary to ensure public safety.

Using biotechnology to develop a long-term solution to the problem of asbestos abatement.

In today’s world, both the popularity of asbestos and the knowledge that it is a deadly carcinogen are no secret.  The durability that made this mineral so popular for industrial use is also, at least in part, what makes it so dangerous. 

Unlike other substances – even nuclear waste – asbestos doesn’t decay. It can be left untouched for many decades and not change form.  Inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers do not break down in the body, and the disturbances caused by these fibers are well documented to potentially lead to a multitude of diseases, including asbestosis and cancer.  

If asbestos doesn’t break down in the body, does it break down anywhere else?  The short answer is no.  

Asbestos that has been disposed of is typically buried deep in a landfill, in a designated area with other hazardous materials, and is often topped with layers of soil.  Sometimes it’s even placed in a metal drum first.  That isn’t the only way that asbestos can contaminate soil, though.  

Asbestos products can continue to release harmful asbestos fibers and pose a danger.

As asbestos-containing products age, they can degrade and free the asbestos fibers that were previously inside.  When products like roof tiles degrade, rain or other water sources can carry the freed fibers to the ground or to other water sources; this is called runoff.  And per the EPA, “polluted runoff is one of the greatest threats to clean water in the U.S.”  

But even once it’s underground, asbestos does not disappear.  And even though its use has been widely diminished and even banned in many countries (but not the U.S.), the problem persists because many people are heeding warnings and renovating homes, buildings, and other structures that were built using asbestos-containing materials.  All of this is creating more asbestos waste and further contamination.  

There are 3 main categories of asbestos exposure: occupational, secondary, and environmental.  

Asbestos-contaminated soil and water are 2 examples of environmental exposure.  This is exposure to asbestos that does not come from your job (occupational) or from spending significant time with someone else who was exposed and brought fibers home (secondary).  Some construction activities, like digging a hole to lay the foundation of a structure, could potentially unearth contaminated soil.  In doing so, the asbestos fibers could become airborne (in the environment) where they pose the greatest threat of inhalation or ingestion.  

A research team at Unitec Institute of Technology is “digging in” to discover methods of composting asbestos waste.

In Auckland, New Zealand, researchers at the Unitec Institute of Technology are working on a solution.  Terri-Ann Berry, a lecturer at the school, stated that with the current asbestos disposal practices, “really all we’re doing is storing it for future generations to deal with.“  With that in mind, the Unitec research team set out to discover what, if anything, could help with the turning towards chemicals that often leave behind further hazardous waste after destroying whatever hazard they were unleashed upon.  

Can biotechnology help break down asbestos?

Their idea: using plants and microbes to degrade or reduce asbestos material in soil.  How would this work?  Asbestos has a certain iron content, with crocidolite asbestos even containing enough iron to give it a blueish color.  

The Unitec team has discovered that certain fungi and lichens (which are produced via a symbiotic relationship with organisms like fungi or algae) produce secretions that attach to iron, and can remove it from the asbestos and carry it to other plants that utilize it to grow.  The idea is to develop this type of “ecosystem” into which asbestos waste can be placed, and the natural biological processes that occur would hopefully make the waste safe again.

They likened this ecosystem to a compost heap – composting, a form of bioremediation, is when organic matter (like food or animal waste) is used as fertilizer.  Compost is typically rich in nutrients and helpful bacteria that is good for plants.  The research is promising, but it’s not an immediate fix.  

More time is needed to determine the success of the solution, but the progress being made by the team is both important and beneficial. 

The team does not know whether it would take hundreds, or even thousands of years for the processes to occur that would make the waste safe.  Another question is whether the fungi and lichens would produce change at a constant or reliable rate.  The team has said that once they determine exactly which microorganisms to use and the rate at which they create change, they can better estimate how long the overall process would take.  So while the discoveries are exciting, there is still more work to be done.  

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

And if you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being. 

All without filing a lawsuit.

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