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Asbestos removal scheduled for Salem Public Library
In Salem, Oregon, the asbestos-removal project on the lower level of Salem Public Library is set to begin in early 2010. Earlier this year, the library underwent asbestos removal throughout the rest of the building. The Salem City Council has agreed to reallocate $165,000 in funds from a library lighting-upgrade project to finance the completion of the asbestos removal at the library. An additional $10,000 for the project comes from Facilities Services Division funds.
The cost to remove the asbestos is estimated at $145,000. In addition, the removal of asbestos will result in the installation of new, asbestos-free carpeting, which will cost $30,000. City officials say that asbestos in the library is "encapsulated", meaning that it does not pose a threat to humans unless workers drill or cut into the material.
Exposure to even a small amount of asbestos is considered unsafe. Some people exposed to asbestos can develop mesothelioma, a rare cancer that manifests in the lungs or abdomen, or sometimes the lining of the heart. Mesothelioma can take decades to develop, during which time the patient has no symptoms. When symptoms do develop, however, the cancer is aggressive and typically takes the lives of mesothelioma sufferers in less than two years.
Roger Heusser, president of Friends of the Salem Public Library, is happy that the asbestos is being removed.
"What we have is a hazard," Heusser said. "We have so many people going through there and people working in those areas, so I had concerns. It is very good that the city plans to improve the infrastructure in those areas."