This exposure can damage your cells over time and possibly result in pleural mesothelioma. If swallowed, asbestos fibers can reach the abdominal lining, where they can potentially cause peritoneal mesothelioma. If you own an older house, you should have it professionally inspected so you know where any asbestos-containing areas are located. Common asbestos-containing materials found in older homes may include attic insulation, corrugated cement roofing, vinyl floor tiles, window glazing and caulking, and heating-duct insulation, among others. If your home was built between 1940 and 1980, here are five steps you can take right now to reduce your risk for asbestos exposure: 1. Contact a qualified asbestos professional in your area. 2. Avoid working around, repairing, or renovating any areas that may contain asbestos. 3. Avoid doing anything in the attic. 4. Avoid sweeping or vacuuming around areas that may contain asbestos. 5. Avoid scraping, sawing, or sanding any areas that may contain asbestos — and never drill any holes in the walls. The water was red with blood. It was hell. We had orders in the fifth wave to pick up the wounded. We got who we could and took them to the hospital ships.” The following night, there was an air raid that sent shrapnel into LaVerne’s foot, for which he later earned a Purple Heart. However, the injury he suffered on D-Day did not earn LaVerne a ticket home. After D-Day, LaVerne was sent to the Pacific, where he fought in the Battle of Okinawa on April 1, 1945. His ship — the USS Ancon — arrived at Tokyo Bay, where he and his crew watched Japan’s surrender through binoculars. While on the USS Ancon, LaVerne met King George VI of the United Kingdom, Field Marshal Montgomery, and Gen. George Patton, among others. When he was dispatched and sent home, LaVerne rarely spoke about his service in World War II. Most of this information was taken from an interview he did with a local newspaper a few years before he passed in 2012. I wish I could have interviewed him myself, but this serves as my tribute to him and all of our veterans who possessed the courage to leave home and fight on foreign soil to protect our country. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the freedom you gave us all with your courage.
If your house was built before 1980, there is a high chance that several places in your home contain asbestos.
Before 1980, most building supplies for home construction contained asbestos, a naturally occurring fibrous silicate material that was used for its durability and heat-resistant properties for most of the 20th century. However, in the 20th century, researchers discovered that asbestos exposure causes cancer and other illnesses, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. From 1973 to 1978, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned certain products containing asbestos. Here are a few of the banned items: • Asbestos pipe and block insulation • Asbestos-containing artificial fireplace embers and wall- patching compounds • All spray-applied surfacing, asbestos-containing material Homes built between 1940 and 1980 should not be renovated without first checking for materials containing asbestos. Once deteriorated or disturbed, asbestos fibers become an instant threat to your family’s health.
If inhaled, these microscopic fibers latch onto the pleura in your lungs, where they can cause inflammation and scarring.
A TRIBUTE TO MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER
As we remember D-Day in June, I wanted to share the story of my great- grandfather, LaVerne “Tuffy” Merriman. LaVerne was born on July 22, 1925 in Morocco, Indiana. In 1942, after Pearl Harbor was bombed, LaVerne enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 to join his two brothers who had been drafted. Over the next three years, LaVerne served in the African, European, and Pacific theaters of war — and also participated in the storming of Normandy’s beaches on D-Day.
LaVerne Merriman
74 years ago, at 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944, 18-year-old LaVerne boarded a landing craft with 35 other men. His boat was one of hundreds heading toward Normandy as part of the first wave of the invasion of France. He manned the machine guns as they got closer, shooting at anything that moved. LaVerne witnessed soldiers jumping into 10 feet of water with 100-pound backpacks strapped to them, pulling them under the waves. After they dispatched their troops, his landing craft sped back to ferry more troops across the English Channel. When he returned as part of the fifth wave, LaVerne witnessed a terrifying scene on the beach: “We had [dead and wounded] guys all over.
-Brittany Peterson
2 www.shannonlawgroup.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online