El Dorado Hills Asbestos Exposure
I’m Ed Smith, an El Dorado Hills Mesothelioma lawyer. The El Dorado Hills area has one of the highest concentrations of asbestos in the country. This is largely due to the large amount of asbestos mining that occurred in California during the middle of the 20th century. As these mountains were dug out, asbestos was released into the air, the soil, and the water. It flooded the entire region and made the population sick. Asbestos damages the lining of the lungs and causes a type of lung cancer called mesothelioma. Many people are wondering what mines were responsible for this kind of damage.
The Atlas Asbestos Mine Superfund Site
For years, asbestos was used as a source of insulation for a wide variety of buildings all over the world. From 1963, the mine spanned over 400 acres where it mined naturally occurring asbestos that existed in the area. When people realized that asbestos was causing serious problems for people’s health, the mine was shut down in 1979 and the EPA took steps to reduce the pollution. Over the next few years, the EPA tried to clean up the site; however, the damage had been done.
The Pollution
The massive mine poured asbestos out of the mines. The asbestos leaked from the site into the Los Gatos Creek. As the seasons rolled on, the river would flood. While there was a basin that would attempt to contain the floods, this ultimately proved impossible. The sediments built up at the bottom of the basin and the asbestos fibers overflowed from the basin into the California aqueduct. In fact, the water district in the area measured the levels of asbestos in the water of the area and found shockingly high levels of asbestos. Unfortunately, this trend wasn’t noticed until years after the fibers first reached the aqueduct.
The EPA Cleans Up
While the mine was shut down in 1979, the EPA was not finished assessing the situation until 1991. Much of the cleanup process consisted of building other channels through which the rivers would flow. This would help to guide the asbestos away from the town and minimize the water contamination which was already a serious issue. The EPA also went to work cleaning up the contaminated soil; however, this has been a significantly harder task. The recreational activities such as biking, hiking, and camping disturb the asbestos and kick the material back into the air where people can breathe it in. This is one of the main reasons why the area still has some of the highest levels of contamination even to this day.
Legal Rights
Because asbestos exposure continues to remain a problem today, people are still developing mesothelioma. It is important that people who develop mesothelioma understand their legal rights.
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El Dorado Hills CA Mesothelioma Lawyer
Hello, I’m Ed Smith, and I am an El Dorado Hills Mesothelioma lawyer. If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with mesothelioma or has passed away as a result of asbestos exposure, please give me a call at (916) 921-6400 for free, friendly advice. I can also be reached on this toll free number: (800) 404-5400.
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Source of El Dorado Hills Asbestos Exposure ~:DR