[/floatl][SIZE="3"]Asbestos, Japan tsunami's other hidden danger[/SIZE]
Associated Press – 2011-04-27
SENDAI, Japan---Inside the chunks of slate and wallboard smashed and scattered by Japan's tsunami hides a health risk that has been overshadowed by contamination from a leaking nuclear plant: the odorless and nearly invisible threat of asbestos.
Activists have found the cancer-causing, fibrous material in the air and debris collected from the devastated northeastern coast.
Levels in the air remain within Japan's safety range but are expected to rise significantly once cranes and cleanup crews begin their work in earnest, scraping and shaking loose the minuscule, white fibers from insulation and fireproofing layers...more...
8O8O8O8O8O