The Cass Street Bridge, a large commuter bridge in Tampa, Florida has been re-opened to the public after it underwent a series of major overhauls which began last year. The bridge was the primary avenue used by many commuters for getting to and from Tampa’s busy downtown area until it closed last July, displacing traffic and creating difficulty for some drivers whose normal, daily routes included the popular bridge. The bridge, originally constructed some time during the 1920′s, is nearly a century old and until now hasn’t undergone any serious renovation work since the late 1940′s. Included in the recent maintenance efforts was the replacement of sections of corroded and degraded steel, the removal of asbestos materials in accordance with federal and state regulations, and repainting to protect the bridge from the daily battery of normal weather conditions.
Asbestos removal has become a fairly standard part of modern renovations in both the commercial and residential sectors. Products made from asbestos fibers were used throughout most of the 20th century for insulation and fire retardation purposes, in spite of the fact that it was found to be hazardous to human health as early as the 1930′s. In 1989 the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued the Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule intended to completely bar asbestos products from being used in any form in the United States. The rule was overturned just two years later in 1991, possibly due to the prevalence of the substance’s use throughout the construction, manufacturing, and refining industries, resulting in strict regulations which aim to reduce human exposure to asbestos without completely banning products that contain the mineral.
Asbestos exposure occurs when microscopic asbestos fibers are either inhaled or ingested by occupants of buildings which contain the substance. The tiny fibers can become lodged in the mesothelium, a protective soft tissue which encases our vital organs, accumulating over time and causing sever internal scarring. Mesothelioma, an incurable and aggressive cancer that claims some 3,000 American lives annually, refers to the development of this scar tissue into malignant tumors. While palliative care options including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are available to mesothelioma patients to improve their quality of life, the prognosis for the cancer is fairly dismal and often predicts that patients have no more than about eighteen months to live.
Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose due to its general, flu like symptoms and its incredibly long latency period – or time that normally elapses between exposure to asbestos and development of the disease. Modern regulations concerning the abatement of asbestos materials during municipal, commercial and residential renovations is a good step towards avoiding an increase of mesothelioma diagnoses in the coming years.
The Cass Street Bridge, conducting an estimated 12,000 vehicles to their destinations daily, is now open to the public. The total renovations, including asbestos removal efforts, cost nearly two million dollars.
