Tens of thousands of acres in the Clear Creek Management Area, a popular vehicle off the road for the area near Hollister, California, was closed to the public from May 1, 2008. The area has naturally occurring asbestos, which was originally considered a threat to human health. This mineral is very toxic and are known to cause fatal respiratory diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective membrane of the lungs. However, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) says that a recent scientific study, entitled Preliminary analysis of the asbestos exposure associated with cycling and hiking in the Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) in San Benito County, California ", said the health risk is minimal motorcyclists. "Other recreational activities like swimming, hiking and skiing is a dangerous 100 times," reads the report, commissioned by the Recreation Off-Highway Motor Vehicle (OHMVR) Division of the California State Parks and produced by Richard Wilson physics at Harvard University, the International Foundation for Environmental Research in New York and the Center for Applied Studies in Environment and Earth and environmental sciences at the City University of New York. However, Daphne Greene, deputy director OHMVR says that the information contained in the report are "as the data [first], the EPA report, before final decisions are made about the long-term opportunities for pleasure CCMA. It is important to remember that asbestos cancer takes decades to develop. So we can not know with certainty for many years in which asbestos affects visitors to the region.
