A recent 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Eureka, California has caused some damage to the Eureka Municipal Auditorium which has raised concerns regarding asbestos contamination. The city’s designated art agency, The Ink People, had been housed in a wing of the Municipal Auditorium for some time up until the quake. The earthquake caused the collapse of several ceiling tiles in the art agency’s offices, which may have been manufactured using asbestos materials in decades past. In order to avoid any potential exposure to harmful asbestos fibers, The Ink People have been moved out of their offices until repairs can be made to the building. Although the damage to the art agency’s wing of the building was fairly minimal, the building as a whole sustained a substantial amount of loss - possibly requiring as much as $500,000 in repairs. The Northern Californian Indian Development has graciously provided temporary offices to house the faculty of Eureka’s displaced art agency in an effort to prevent exposure to dangerous asbestos fibers that may now be contaminating the building.

“There is asbestos,” said Gary Bird, the team spokesperson for the Eureka emergency response team, “and because the plaster is loose, there could be airborne asbestos.”

The use of various asbestos products was commonplace in the construction of municipal, commercial and residential buildings throughout the 20th century in the United States. Although asbestos was determined to be hazardous to human health as early as the 1930’s, its use in industry continued with little change up until 1989 when the the United States Environmental Protection Agency passed the Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule. The new law attempted to completely cease the substance’s use in all sectors throughout the United States, but it was overturned just two years later in 1991. Today, while certain asbestos products can still be legally used in various industries, there are strict regulations which monitor its use as well as federal and state laws that enforce safe handling and disposal practices that reduce exposure to asbestos which can cause illness and death.

Thus far, no steps have been taken to repair the Eureka Municipal Auditorium and all of The Ink People’s programs have been temporarily suspended due to the fact that their new offices are too small to host their normal events. Gary Bird says that the City of Eureka certainly plans to repair the building as soon as they can, and Libby Maynard, the executive director of the city’s art agency adds that her agency has aided the council in the past, and that “It all comes around.”

The Chicopee City Council in Chicopee, Massachusetts has approved the necessary funding to commence renovations and repairs for the local waste water treatment facilities. The repairs will include both the water treatment facilities themselves and various water pollution control buildings located around the city. The funding was approved near the end of last year, putting a local sewer budget surplus to good use. Among the various repairs and renovations that are planned for the facilities is the process of asbestos abatement, or the safe removal of building materials constructed with or contaminated with asbestos fibers.

Asbestos is a mineral substance that was mined, fabricated and added to various industrial compounds throughout the twentieth century. It was widely used in varying industries as a powerful thermal insulator and fire retardant up until its use was heavily restricted in the 1980’s due to health concerns. Before the restrictions were applied, asbestos was used in the form of insulating boards, fabrics and blown materials in both commercial and residential construction. While asbestos does not generally pose a health hazard if it is not aggravated, demolition and renovation efforts can stir up asbestos fibers which then become potentially harmful.

Asbestos is harmful when inhaled or ingested. When its microscopic fibers enter the body, they can become lodged in the soft tissues that encase our vital organs. This soft tissue, or mesothelium, reacts by scarring, which over time can cause the development of malignant tumors. Mesothelioma, a cancer that can result from asbestos exposure, is an aggressive and incurable disease that claims thousands of American lives each year. Restrictions and regulations regarding how and where asbestos can be used as well as how it must be disposed of aim to curb the loss of life due to asbestos exposure.

State and federal regulations require contractors who work with asbestos contaminated materials to be specially licensed or certified. In the case of the Chicopee waste water facilities, Evergreen Construction of Springfield will be handling the asbestos abatement portion of the renovation contract. The company will receive $14,000 to remove and replace flooring which contains asbestos in the administration and control facility buildings. After the flooring is removed and properly disposed of it will be replaced with asbestos free vinyl flooring tiles.

The Mayor of Chicopee, Michael D. Bissonnette, is also planning equipment renovations and repairs totaling $50,000 for the local sewer plant. “This work represents a proactive maintenance repair that will prevent the conditions to deteriorate into a larger project,” said Stanley W. Kulig, the superintendent of public works.

Local officials have elected to convert a former hospital in Harrison County, Kentucky, into a Government Center that will house new county offices. The former Harrison hospital complex will be renovated by AML Inc., a general contractor selected by the Harrison County Commissioners for the multi-million dollar contract.

The Harrison hospital complex made use of asbestos insulation, now known to be a serious health hazard, which will need to be safely removed before the renovations are completed. Asbestos abatement is necessary in many renovation projects in order to avoid asbestos exposure that can lead to illness and death. Up until the 1980’s, many new construction projects used asbestos prolifically as a fire retardant and insulating material. Asbestos was often pressed into boards and sheets that were used inside of walls and ceilings, and was blown into attic spaces and above ceiling tiles.

Asbestos exposure can cause mesothelioma, an aggressive, incurable cancer which kills some 3,000 Americans every year. Mesothelioma is indicated by severe scarring and existence of tumors in the mesothelium, a soft tissue lining which encases many of our vital organs. The cancer can be difficult to diagnose due to its rarity and the fact that its symptoms are generic and flu like in the early stages. Once diagnosed, however, the prognosis is rarely hopeful; mesothelioma victims often learn that they have less than two years to live.

Asbestos must be inhaled or ingested in order to pose a threat, which means that in most cases asbestos insulation itself is not dangerous. During renovations, however, demolition efforts can upset the insulation fibers which then end up airborne where they could become a problem. Specialized contractors that are licensed or certified by appropriate government agencies are required for asbestos removal in order to be sure that the substance is properly contained and disposed of, and to ensure that the laborers are protected against exposure.

A separate, specialized contractor, Midwest Services Group, will handle the asbestos abatement portion of the project for around 3% of the total renovation cost of $14 million. Other subcontractors will handle various different parts of the renovations like installing plumbing, electrical wiring, phone services and more. According to James Goldman, the president of the Harrison County Commissioners, the renovation project should be completed early next year, hopefully by January 2011.