Did you know that being near a building that is falling apart can slowly kill you? Let’s take a look at all the details of this annoying event with expert opinions.
The moment of destruction of a building is undoubtedly a remarkable event. You may have wanted to see the huge building fall to the ground in a matter of minutes. However, our advice is, stop watching it while a building collapses. not even getting close to it without a mask on your face…
And don’t take what I say is our advice. This suggestion actually comes from Mehmet Ensari, a civil engineer who is also the chairman of the Occupational Health and Safety Federation and the Association of Asbestos Removal Specialists. At the same time, public health expert Prof. Dr. Osman Alparslan Ergör also gives serious warnings about this issue. The reasons for these suggestions are It’s based on a pretty great deal of danger…
What is the reason for the issue in question?
A seminar on “Asbestos Hazard in Buildings” was held recently. In the seminar organized jointly by many institutions such as Ege University, Asbestos Free Demolition (AFDem), Presidency of European Union, etc. Although it is a deadly danger and closely related to public health, it is ignored. focused on an important issue. Experts working in this field such as Mehmet Ensari and Osman Alparslar Ergör also took part as speakers at the seminar.
Many of us probably heard the word ‘asbestos’ for the first time, with the agenda created by a ship called Sao Paulo, which was coming to Turkey for dismantling in the past weeks. The ship, which was the subject of this event, which created a big agenda due to its terrible effects on health, did not come to Turkey. In other words, we can say that the created public pressure was effective. However, according to many experts Shipbreaking isn’t the only place where asbestos poses a danger.
First, let’s talk briefly about what asbestos is. Asbestos is actually a mineral found in nature. It has been used frequently in every field you can think of for many years, due to numerous reasons such as being quite durable, abundant and inexpensive. Among these usage areas, there are many things from the handle of a pot in your home to the eternit plates on your roof. However, long after it became industrially widespread and included in our lives, in fact, This mineral has been discovered to be carcinogenic. Again, its use has been banned in many countries for many years.
In our country, the production, use and market supply of asbestos and the supply of asbestos-containing goods to the market are regulated by the General Directorate of Environmental Management of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization of the Republic of Turkey, effective as of 31 December 2010. prohibited. However, it is known that many products containing asbestos are in circulation in the market. If it is a place where it has been used the most since the past and is still in our lives. building constructions.
Due to its durable and insulating structure, asbestos has been used in many different areas in the construction of buildings over the years. These buildings are like urban transformation projects today. being demolished by large scale projects…
How does the destruction of buildings lead us to death?
One of the things that makes asbestos dangerous is its fibrous structure, which is even thinner than a hair. These fine-structured fibers can easily become airborne and drift hundreds of meters. Then it settles in our lungs with the air we breathe. This is the beginning of the process that results in fatal diseases.
When a building is demolished, the asbestos used in that building mixes with the dust cloud formed during the demolition and disperses into areas hundreds of meters wide. Experts emphasize that the dust cloud that comes out during the demolition of the building should definitely not be inhaled.
In fact, Ensari, who touched on this issue in the seminar, emphasized that if there is a building demolition on our street or in our neighborhood, we should not go out without a mask, and that we should prevent that dust cloud from entering our house. Likewise, public health expert Ergör stated that the effects of asbestos on health are very important, He emphasized that even a small amount of breathing creates very serious health problems.
One of the worst things about asbestos settling in the lungs is asbestosis, which can occur. deadly diseases and cancer do not show themselves for many years. There is no cure for the disease, which causes a type of cancer known as ‘lung membrane cancer’, especially ‘mesothelioma’. This leads to cases that result in death within a few months of the onset of cancer. The disease called asbestosis, which is caused by the placement of asbestos in the lungs, manifests itself within 10-20 years and has many serious consequences, up to respiratory arrest.
Asbestos endanger the health of workers working in the industries it is involved in, and this situation is tried to be prevented with occupational safety practices. But on the other hand, building demolitions are happening all over the place, especially in big cities. In large-scale projects such as urban transformation, buildings with very old construction years are demolished one by one. The resulting dust cloud endanger the health of everyone living around. Since there is not enough awareness on this issue, the situation cannot be prevented.
Well, if it’s so dangerous, isn’t there a precaution taken for it?
In fact, there are some measures taken on paper. Before the buildings are demolished, controls are carried out by asbestos removal specialists. Detection of asbestos in the building and then, if there is asbestos, the asbestos-containing materials in question must be removed in a controlled manner before the building is demolished. For these steps, a report is first prepared and submitted to the municipalities.
However, as you can imagine, the color of the work changes when it comes to executing this process. From issuing false reports There are many problems, from the uncontrolled removal of all asbestos-containing materials in the buildings before the asbestos removal specialist to go to the building and the ‘storage’ or sale of them in a way that threatens public health. Ultimately, as these buildings collapsed that asbestos mixes with the air and settles in our lungs, causing death.
In fact, what should be done is to apply all these processes during the demolition of buildings and to prevent dust from mixing into the air during demolition. use of irrigation systems. Unfortunately, even these irrigation systems are not used in most demolitions.
So what can we do?
Asbestos Removal Experts Association offers some suggestions about what we can do in this regard. For example, if you come across a building demolition in your neighborhood and you see that measures such as the irrigation system are not taken, you can file a complaint with the municipality or CIMER. You can also report the situation directly to the WhatsApp complaint line of the Association of Asbestos Removal Specialists.