Guadalupe County, Texas - Demolition work on Guadalupe County’s Justice Center was halted after the discovery of a small amount of asbestos in the building’s second floor.

The demolition work is being carried out prior to planned renovation activities. The discovery of asbestos in a small room on the second floor of the building means that the demolition must be halted so that the asbestos can be removed.

The asbestos was found in an adhesive that was used to glue linoleum wall tiles. Asbestos was commonly used in the twentieth century in many different types of construction materials, including many kinds of adhesives, so the discovery is not an uncommon or surprising one.

The schedule will be delayed for approximately two weeks so that the asbestos can be safely removed.

Asbestos abatement is expected to cost around $25,000. Commissioners have also voted to hire a company to monitor the building’s air quality during the abatement, at a cost of almost $7,000.

Asbestos removal is typically an expensive procedure: licensed contractors who are trained to work with asbestos must be used, and the process can be a lengthy one due to special safety procedures that must be carried out when removing asbestos. In addition, disposal of asbestos waste is around three times more expensive than disposing of non-hazardous waste.

Monitoring the air quality increases the cost of removal somewhat, but is important to help ensure that asbestos removal workers and the building’s employees are safe while the asbestos is removed. If any increase in airborne asbestos levels is noticed, steps can be taken immediately to prevent the spread of fibers.

Some county employees who work in the building-those who are situated close to the second floor removal area-will be relocated for the two days the project is expected to take.

According to County Judge Mike Wiggins, an asbestos survey that was previously carried out in the building, prior to the planned renovations, did not locate the asbestos adhesive, but that “fortunately it wasn’t a huge amount of asbestos.”

Once the asbestos removal is completed, demolition can continue, and then the planned renovations, which include upgrading outdated plumbing and replacing locks on prisoner cells doors, will be carried out.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 3:33 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Jobsite Exposure, Texas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.