Around the world there are any number of naturally occurring substances that pose little or no risk to human health when left in their natural state–including thallium deposits in China, radium in Pakistan, arsenic in Argentina, as well as arsenic, asbestos, mercury, radon and silica in the United States.
Commercial projects such as mining, real estate development and construction, however, can typically uncover these minerals, expose those working on site or passing nearby, and end up causing significant health hazards.
For instance, over the past 10 years, numerous lawsuits have emerged related to the disturbance of naturally occurring asbestos–known as NOA. This includes spreading NOA through intrusive construction work, blowing it over highways via the uncovered transport of sediment or soil containing asbestos, as well as the inadvertent use of soil containing NOA as fill material on construction projects.
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