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Mesothelioma News | 2008
Station 2 has Asbestos Cleaned Out
NEWTON, MA - Carcinogenic asbestos was cleaned out of Station 2 in Auburndale just one month after asbestos fell on firefighters at Station 3 in Newton Centre.
The trucks and firefighters that were on shift during the cleanup were taken away from the station and sent to standby, in case of emergency, in other parts of the district.
Jeremy Solomon, mayoral spokesman, indicated that asbestos located in the heating pipe elbows and some tiles within Station 2 was not "friable" or broken apart and thus not carcinogenic, because it could not become airborne if it was not friable.
Solomon said, "We have never taken a positive airborne sample. The asbestos was never a safety risk to those occupying the building."
On April 11, however, a report from samples taken at Station 2 by FLI Environmental indicated that four instances of friable asbestos were discovered and that the asbestos was not determined to be airborne.
According to the report, damaged pipe fittings that contained asbestos were found in the "first-floor bath, boiler room, hall at the first-floor bath, tire-check room, closet at the first-floor bath, apparatus floor at new valves" and throughout the station in four other areas as well.
35 percent of the material examined in the boiler room was chrysotile asbestos and "damaged" and "friable" according to the report.
10 percent of the insulating pipeline material was found to be chrysotile, and the material was also identified as damaged and friable in the report.
The watch desk room, second-floor ladder room and third-floor hall all had damaged floor tiles that were found to contain 5 percent asbestos material.
When plumbers replaced heating units and refitted the pipes in March, the asbestos insulating the pipes was broken reported Tom Lopez, Fire Union President.
Lopez further commented, "I don't know how they determine whether it is friable or nonfriable because it is asbestos and when people physically damage it, it becomes airborne. To me, when the elbows break apart the asbestos becomes airborne."
The report reads, "It appears that some of the asbestos containing TSI fittings became damaged when new valves were installed on the overhead pipe in the apparatus area."
Over the next ten years, Mayor David Cohen has allocated $2.2 million for each station to be renovated in 18-month cycles.
In addition, $672,000 was appropriated for minor renovation work needed at stations that are waiting for their $2.2 million makeover — On Saturday, $14,000 of the $672,000 was used for the asbestos cleanup.
As the time nears for each stations facelift, they will be inspected and undergo asbestos clean-up according to Solomon.
This summer, Station 4 is targeted for major renovations and Station1, Station 7 and Station 10 are slated for future inspections and eventually renovations in that order.
Lopez said, "I'm happy that the city took necessary steps to correct the problem. Unfortunately we had to close the station for eight to ten hours to accomplish this, but it's definitely important. How will we deal with the remaining stations going forward?"
