In the world of home improvements and real estate, there are many things to consider. Utilized in thousands of construction and building applications throughout the 20th century, asbestos was a highly regarded mineral due to its heat resistant properties. Its main uses were found in industrial products such as flooring products, roofing, insulation and piping.

As one of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston has a solid history with the use of asbestos. Many homes and buildings built before 1980 can still contain asbestos materials. It is highly recommended that potential homeowners or home re modelers in Boston hire professionals to determine whether asbestos or other harmful building materials are present. There are now many green alternatives that replace the need for harmful asbestos and can reduce annual energy costs in the home.

Although un-damaged asbestos does not pose any harm, you should be aware that the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can cause mesothelioma, a form of asbestos lung cancer where treatment is limited. Mesothelioma prognosis is usually poor and fatal because of the long latency period involved with the disease. From 1980 to 2000, 759 fatalities occurred in Massachusetts from asbestos-related disease. Much controversy is involved with asbestos due to the scandal involved in covering up evidence of its toxic qualities for decades by asbestos manufacturers. This has lead to mesothelioma lawyer firms protecting and advocating the rights of victims.

If asbestos is suspected in a designated location, hiring an inspector who can determine the legitimacy of danger is suggested. The removal of asbestos is a finite process which needs to be performed by licensed abatement contractors who are trained in handling the substance. With a steady growth on technology and public education, there are a variety of green alternative methods of insulation which make the use of asbestos obsolete such as as lcynene, cellulose and cotton fiber. The City of Boston Environment and Energy services can further assist citizens in finding the best forms of environmentally sustainable building applications for the home.

Eco-friendly alternatives also can significantly reduce energy costs in the home. The used of cotton fiber insulation, a recycled material, can reduce energy in the home by 25 to 35 percent. These asbestos alternatives allow for a healthy, safe home, free of damaging materials which would put you and your family in harms way.

This guest post was submitted by:  Joe Lederman at the Mesothelioma Cancer Center

Last night I attended a concert at the Comcast Center in Mansfield MA.  The Steve Miller Band was playing and the crowd was a good mix of people from teenagers to 60-70 year old.  In my opinion the diversity of the crowd was perfect in order to see how many people used the recycling bins next to every garbage can.

My observations were somewhat casual since I did not have a team of people monitoring every garbage can and recycling bin with scales and other scientific tools.  I could only use my eyes to determine how full the recycling bins were in comparison to the garbage cans.  My entire “survey” consisted of 4 trips to buy bottled water and two other random walks, in total maybe 6 trips past 10 or so garbage stations.

The end result was that not one recycling bin contained more recycled cups and bottles than the one in the picture.  The garbage cans were about 1/3-1/2 of the way full—-WHY?   The trash cans were side by side with the recycling bins, I can’t think of an easier way to provide people with a way to recycle other than manning the garbage stations with recycling Nazi’s.  The concert had ads on their giant TV’s requesting that people use the recycling bins so I feel that they did everything in their power to promote recycling.

Instead of an informative blog post, I will close this with a list of questions:

What more can a concert venue do to promote recycling?

Why do people choose to place their recycling trash in garbage cans?

Why do people recycle at home but not in public?