Asbestos Find Halts Demolition Project in California Town

Last month, an article in the Oakdale Leader discussed how demolition activities at an old city water tank had to be halted and eventually changed due to the discovery of asbestos on the inside of the tank. According to the article, the water tank was built in 1912 and initial tests on the outside of the tank did not indicate the presence of asbestos. Once demolition began, workers found a suspicious coating on the interior of the tank that proved to contain asbestos.

The discovery of asbestos has required adjustments to the demolition plans and added additional costs. An environmental firm began performing air sampling for asbestos to ensure people around the construction site are not being exposed to asbestos fibers.

Asbestos was commonly used in the past in many buildings and structures, even water tanks. Its strength, durability, insulating and fire resistant properties made it a popular building material.  Today, many of these older structures are being demolished or renovated. If workers are not aware of its presence, they could be exposed to high levels of asbestos fibers. People living or working in nearby areas could also be at risk.

According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), “Worker exposure to asbestos hazards are addressed in specific OSHA standards for the construction industry, general industry and shipyard employment sectors. These standards reduce the risk to workers by requiring that employers provide personal exposure monitoring to assess the risk and hazard awareness training for operations where there is any potential exposure to asbestos. Airborne levels of asbestos are never to exceed legal worker exposure limits.”

One California laboratory that has been helping to protect workers and the public from exposure to asbestos is LA Testing. “Asbestos can be found in many places, even old water tanks as the case in Oakdale reminds us all,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Garden Grove facility. “At LA Testing, we provide rapid testing services so that when suspect materials are discovered they can be analyzed quickly to prevent disruptions to demolition and renovation projects. These services are available to the general public, contractors, consultants and regulators"

To learn more about asbestos testing services or other indoor air quality (IAQ) issues, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. 

About LA Testing and EMSL Analytical, Inc.
LA Testing and EMSL Analytical are providers of environmental testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The companies have an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies. LA Testing has laboratories throughout California staffed with the industry’s leading scientists and advanced instrumentation.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-303-0047

jfrasca@emsl.com