The construction of a new concourse in Quincy, Massachusetts is suffering delays due to the discovery of asbestos-laden materials. While the discovery of the dangerous substance means proper handling and disposal techniques that could prevent fatal illness will be employed, the improved safety of the project will come at a great financial cost. According to Quincy’s planning director, Dennis Harrington, asbestos removal efforts will more than double the demolition costs.
Asbestos removal is an important part of any demolition project dealing with buildings, homes and infrastructure of yesteryear. The material was used fervently throughout the twentieth century, and was only regulated beginning in the 1980′s when its undeniable links to serious health risks were brought forward. Today, medical professionals and scientists agree that asbestos can cause an array of respiratory complications, lung cancer, and mesothelioma – a terminal cancer of the soft tissue lining the body’s vital organs.
Unfortunately, asbestos remediation efforts aren’t cheap. Workers handling the dangerous substance must wear protective gear including respirators, must keep the material wet to prevent it from spreading in the form of dust, and are required to dispose of it in designated toxic material depots. Exact regulations vary by state, but asbestos mitigation efforts are generally considered an expensive, time consuming and unlucky occurrence that delays projects and leeches funds.
Dennis Harrington reported that the asbestos materials found at the site of Quincy’s new concourse inflated the cost of demolition from $500,000 to $1.1 million, a considerable change that’s been hard on the project’s budget.
“It’s turned out to be about as bad as it can be,” said Harrington. “There are lots of hidden floors with asbestos material.”
Thomas Koch, the Mayor of Quincy, is happy that the people of the city will be able to dodge the bullet of asbestos contamination, but frustrated with the unexpected costs.
“It’s there. We have to deal with it,” he said. “The city’s not picking up the tab thankfully.”
