Alviso California is a small city just to the south of San Francisco. Alviso was declared a Superfund site by the EPA in 1986 after tests found high levels of asbestos. EPA officials originally said the air was cleaned up in 1993. However, new and more sensitive equipment can now show whether even microscopic particles of asbestos remain in the air. The Environmental Protection Agency returned to Alviso this week to do more asbestos testing.
Studies have shown that exposure to asbestos can result in asbestos diseases such as mesothelioma for both workers in industries making use of asbestos as well as those who live in the nearby communities. Anyone who inhales the microscopic asbestos particles is at risk to develop asbestos diseases including mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Mesothelioma is the most serious asbestos-related disease. About 80 percent of all cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma - a cancer of the mesothelium, the membrane that covers the lungs– are caused by asbestos exposure at work. The remaining 20 percent of the cases of mesothelioma are found in family members of the workers due to household exposure.