The demolition of buildings containing asbestos without proper asbestos-handling precautions can release a cloud of cancer-causing fibers into the air, increasing the risk of people inhaling the fibers and developing mesothelioma, a respiratory cancer.
That is why the New York State Department of Labor recently issued three violations to the city of Troy, New York for demolition of the former Troy City Hall building before asbestos material had been removed.
Once widely used in construction, asbestos is now strictly controlled in the United States. Demolition and renovation work on older buildings is one of the most common ways that workers in the U.S. are exposed to asbestos today.
New York regulations require building owners to perform a pre-demolition survey to determine if the portion of a building to be remodeled, renovated or demolished contains asbestos or suspected asbestos-containing materials. If the survey identifies asbestos, the building owner is required to hire a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to remove the asbestos material.
In the notice of violation, the New York labor department inspector said that the city began demolition of the former Troy City Hall building at 1 Monument Square before the abatement of asbestos that had been identified in a pre-demolition asbestos survey.
Troy’s Mayor Harry Tutunjiam said the city of Troy had done nothing wrong and he planned to appeal the violations. He said the code was open to interpretation and took issue with the issuance of violations two weeks after an inspection, according to the Troy Record newspaper. The city of Troy is soliciting bids from developers to redevelop the 2.1 acre former City Hall site beside the Hudson River. But the asbestos violations issued by the state of New York and potential presence of asbestos fibers at the site could complicate the redevelopment. One cloud of asbestos dust can contain billions of airborne asbsetos fibers.
Approximately, 2,500 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with mesothelioma, a signature cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Workers who are exposed to asbestos in the workplace such as construction workers and demolition workers are at higher risk of developing pleural mesothelioma or peritoneal mesothelioma. Symptoms of mesothelioma typically don’t appear for 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.
Once widely used in construction, asbestos is now strictly controlled in the United States. Demolition and renovation work on older buildings is one of the most common ways that workers in the U.S. are exposed to asbestos today.
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