Jan 16, 2010 - Possible Asbestos Contaminations Suspends Prison Visitations
The Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem has closed off its visiting room and two offices that are adjacent to a mechanical room where a piece of insulation fell that may have caused asbestos contamination. Prison officials are trying to assess and rectify the situation so that visitors may be allowed back in as soon as possible.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is very heat and fire resistant and was added to many types of insulation products before becoming highly regulated by the government. Asbestos, when intact and in good condition, does not pose a health hazard. However, when it is disturbed or damaged, as in this event at OSCI, it can become airborne and be easily inhaled or ingested.
Once taken into the body, asbestos can lodge in the lining of the lungs, heart, or abdomen, and many years later cause a serious and fatal cancer called mesothelioma. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos and only a single fiber can cause mesothelioma.
Symptoms of mesothelioma are hard to accurately identify since they are similar to other more common diseases and because there is such a long latency period between time of exposure and development of symptoms.
To protect the safety of workers as well as inmates and visitors, OSCI closed off access to the mechanical room, the visiting room, and two adjacent offices until air quality tests can be done to assess if any contamination occurred. The correctional facility was already in process of preparing for a full asbestos abatement and had already discovered the presence of asbestos in the mechanical room. When an employee discovered the fallen piece of insulation, the prison took immediate action to close off all access.
If air quality tests results come back positive for asbestos, prison officials say they will hire trained asbestos abatement professionals to remove or encapsulate any asbestos that could cause anyone to be exposed. According to government regulations, such a facility is required to hire contractors licensed to manage and remove asbestos to perform the work.
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