Asbestos Closes County Building
A county administration building in Portage, Wisconsin was closed last week when a test for asbestos dust came back positive.
According to an article in the Portage Daily Register, the Columbia County District Attorney’s office in the Carl Frederick Administration Building closed last week after inhabitants of the office found a chunk of asbestos insulation that had probably fallen from the ceiling.
According to county Building and Grounds Department Director Cory Wiegel, someone from the office conducted the air quality test, which subsequently resulted in the closure. This Wednesday, a private company will do a survey of the entire 46-year-old courthouse to assess whether or not there is a need for more in-depth asbestos inspection, and if so, how much such an inspection might cost, the article notes.
Wiegel said the initial air sample showed traces of some kind of contamination, but the contamination was below the acceptable levels set by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. AHERA’s standards, usually applied to public buildings, are more stringent that OSHA’s, Wiegel said.
However, Wiegel noted that courthouse workers and civilians conducting business inside the building shouldn’t be concerned about asbestos exposure.
“You’re more likely to get hit by a car than get (asbestos-related diseases),” he said.
Nevertheless, as a safety precaution, asbestos-containing building materials are routinely removed whenever any part of the courthouse undergoes remodeling.
The inspection Wednesday, which will be conducted by Environmental Management Consulting Inc. of Lake Mills, is intended to determine how much, if any, asbestos should be removed immediately. Asbestos is known to cause a host of pulmonary problems, including an asbestos cancer known as mesothelioma.