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Asbestos Threat not Communicated to all Stores at the Marycrest Shopping Center
Businesses continued to open up the morning after state health officials shut down part of Marycrest Shopping Center.
Carrie Mark, manager of the Check N Go cash store commented, "We don't know what's going on."
She was aware that the Stitch Witch cleaners next door had a sticker in the window ordering the business to not open.
Sam's Barber Shop's on the other side, however, was open for business. A few yards from Sam's another entryway to offices in the center of Marycrest had a sticker on it warning people to not enter.
Check N Go needed to make some phone calls before discovering that they were indeed supposed to be closed due to a potential asbestos threat in the middle of the shopping center. Soon after, Sam's Barber Shop was also notified.
A failure to communicate and a failure to follow instructions obviously took place at Marycrest.
Shopping Center Shutdown
The two-story section of Marycrest was shut down by the Illinois Department of Public Health based on concerns that proper safety measures were not being taken by work crews that were loosening asbestos containing tile and adhesive during interior renovating work.
Despite orders to stop the work over a month ago, work resumed at some point according to authorities.
Back office workers closest to the renovations continued to come to work and storefront businesses stayed open.
According to one of the office secretaries, workers were getting sick while the remodeling was being done in a small number of businesses at Marycrest.
Tests confirmed that asbestos was present in the tile and mastic adhesive on the floor being torn up. After determining that workers were still tearing up tile, a state inspector ordered Marycrest to close a portion of the center.
It won't be known for a while if anyone working or doing business at Marycrest might have been exposed to asbestos.
RMS Properties of Schaumburg, the new owner of Marycrest, has been ordered to evaluate the extent of the problem using licensed asbestos contractors and to ensure proper removal of the asbestos.
Asbestos is Toxic Material
Marycrest was constructed in the 1950's. In earlier decades, asbestos, a highly toxic mineral, was used extensively in manufacturing construction materials.
Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman with the Illinois Department of Public Health said, "Health risks associated with asbestos exposure depend on the amount and length of exposure." She also added that it may "take years" for someone to show medical signs of asbestos exposure."
The Marycrest Shopping Center consists of more than one building which is why only a portion of the facility was ordered to be shut down.
The stores in the middle section of the center are part of the same building that contains the professional offices and a second floor and they both share a common ventilation system that services the area where renovations were taking place.