The Worldwide Effects of Asbestos

Although the country banned the substance in 2006, thousands of public buildings in Kenya, including schools, contain thousands of tons of asbestos.

Kenya's construction industry extensively used asbestos in the 1960s as the minerals were considered to be strong, heat resistant and affordable.

Its peak global consumption occurred between the 1970s and 1980s before health risks became widely acknowledged.

More than 60 countries all over the world have implemented complete or partial bans, including the entire European Union, Australia, Japan, and Canada. In 2006, Kenya joined countries that were getting rid of the hazardous material.

"We cannot compromise on the health of our citizens. It is raining everywhere, and people are consuming water contaminated by these roofs. I apologize on behalf of previous regimes, but this government must tackle this issue for the sake of public health," Secretary for the Environment Aden Duale said in December last year when he appeared at the Petitions Committee of the National Assembly.

According to government documents, 188 schools and other learning institutions have been found to contain asbestos in various quantities, amounting to 3,180.5 tons.

Asbestos, which was widely used in building insulation and other areas for many years, is one of the most toxic substances on earth. Children are especially vulnerable to this toxicity.

Children do not just go to school during the day. They also play at school playgrounds during the summer. Additionally, children will jump, skip and slide on any surface. They will pick up rocks, pebbles, and other small pieces of material to play with. Kids will make mud pies out of soil and turn old sheds into clubhouses, regardless of their state of disrepair.

The health risk is higher as well. Their lungs are smaller and have a higher surface area to volume ratio than the lungs of adults. Children also breathe at a faster rate, meaning they can inhale more asbestos fibers with every breath.

Children are also susceptible to exposure through sticking their fingers in their mouths. If they have previously come into contact with asbestos particles, they could accidentally ingest the fibers.

Ingested asbestos fibers often cause peritoneal mesothelioma, a form of abdominal cancer. Unlike pleural mesothelioma lung cancer, peritoneal mesothelioma is often treatable. Many times, doctors successfully inject superheated chemotherapy drugs directly into the abdominal cavity.

These two forms of mesothelioma are very similar in other ways, including the latency period. Victims often develop mesothelioma about 50 years after exposure. So, childhood exposure victims are often in their 50s or 60s when they’re diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Regardless of the amount of time that passes, a nationwide mesothelioma lawyer can obtain the compensation these victims need and deserve. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages are usually available in these matters as well.

The asbestos problem didn’t appear on its own, and this problem will not disappear on its own. Current property owners often had nothing to do with the installation of asbestos. But they are now responsible for getting rid of it. In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that property owners were liable for asbestos exposure damages, even if they did not know builders used that substance.

The remediation process is usually a three-step undertaking that consists of detection, removal, and disposal.

Detection is much more complex now than it was before March 2024. Previously, property owners could stop at detection if the air level was under .01 fibers per cubic centimeter. Now, even if asbestos is contained in the walls, it must be removed. Therefore, contractors must use more advanced tests.

Removal is a long and expensive process as well. Asbestos removal workers must normally seal off the building, or at least the contaminated part of the building, tear into the walls, remove the asbestos, and restore the walls.

Incineration is the preferred disposal method for hazardous substances. But asbestos is fireproof. Therefore, asbestos disposal usually means chemically treating this mineral so it loses its toxicity. This process normally is just as expensive as it sounds.

Despite the cost, complete remediation is the only way to avoid liability risks and fully protect the people who enter your home or business.

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced nationwide mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. We routinely handle these matters on a nationwide basis.