Bids recently submitted to Vineland’s city officials for the demolition of buildings at 810 East Chestnut Avenue, in preparation for the building of a new firehouse, have been thrown out. The city’s Business Administrator, Denise Monaco, admitted that the city’s initial request for bids on the project did not include information indicating that asbestos abatement was an important factor in the project.
This oversight was discovered when city officials noted a large disparity in the bidding prices. As the city investigated further, they found that some contractors were aware of that asbestos was present in the buildings, and some were not.
16 contractors initially submitted bids for the demolition. “They should have taken asbestos cleanup into consideration,” said Monaco. “Some did take it into account, but the specifics should have been made clearer. That’s why we sent out another bid.”
The buildings involved in the demolition are an old warehouse, office building and one of the city’s oldest school buildings. The city assumed that, because of their age, contractors would automatically suspect asbestos.
We at Simon, Eddins and Greenstone, LLP, regularly monitor asbestos and mesothelioma news. And we despair to see a continuing trend of ignorance, blunder, and willful disregard when it comes to the safe handling of asbestos, especially in demolition projects.
What would have happened if Vineland city officials hadn’t become suspicious of the disparity in bids and chose one of the less expensive ones that didn’t include asbestos abatement? Would demolition have begun and only after asbestos was released into the air would it have been discovered?
Asbestos is a carcinogen that causes diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. It is a naturally occurring substance made up of microscopic fibers and was heavily used in manufacturing, construction and ships as well as other industries throughout most of the 20th century. When a victim is exposed to asbestos, they inhale or swallow the fibers, which then can become lodged in the mesothelial lining of the chest, lungs, heart or stomach and lead to deadly mesothelioma.
Tags: asbestos, mesothelioma
