Pat Guth contributes news and insightful content for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Bio »
July 18, 2013
Albany, New York - Officials in Albany, New York report that one of the city’s two police stations has been crippled by the recent detection of both mold and asbestos at the site and that several crucial portions of South Station have been inaccessible to officers because of the contamination.
According to an article in the Albany Times-Union, earlier this week lawmakers rushed to approve emergency remediation to the common basement beneath the Albany Police Department’s South Station on Arch Street and the City Court building on Morton Avenue in the South End, opting to bypass the usual process, which involves securing bids for work such as asbestos removal.
The article reports that the contamination was detected in late June after a sump pump lost power. The pump failure caused the basement to flood and also resulted in damage to the sheetrock in that area of the building. A contractor was brought in to replace the sheetrock but, consequently, pre-existing mold was detected and it was also discovered that the sheetrock contained dangerous asbestos at levels high enough to be regulated by the State Department of Labor.
The damage is concentrated along a 90-foot stretch of hallway, reports Craig Petreikis of Alpine Environmental Services, the company that reviewed the damage. Unfortunately, now that that particular area must be sealed off to prevent asbestos exposure, officers can not access the locker rooms, the station’s armory, or a cold freezer area used to store evidence. Air samples, however, determined that the levels of mold and asbestos in the air are “acceptable”.
It is hoped that the repairs will be completed soon, given the importance of the areas affected by the closure.
“We need to be able to access it on a daily basis,” said Officer Steve Smith, a department spokesman.
Share your thoughts with us on Facebook
0 comments:
Post a Comment