Asbestos Concerns Temporarily Closed Racine City Hall

Late last month, Fox6now.com published a report about the temporary closure of City Hall in Racine, Wisconsin.  According to the article, the closure occurred after concerns that asbestos-containing dust may have escaped a containment area where renovation work was being performed in the building. The work reportedly involved floor tiles that contained asbestos in the glue below the tiles.
 
In the past, asbestos was used in many types of flooring products. This included some sheet vinyl products, vinyl or asphalt floor tiles, associated paper-like backings mastics and adhesive/glues. Asbestos was sometimes added during these products’ production to increase their strength and durability.
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states, “There is a wide variety of resilient floor covering applications that contain asbestos. The most common are linoleum flooring and vinyl asbestos tile (VAT). VAT is most commonly found in either a 9“x9” or a 12“x12” square size. The 9“x9” VAT’s are normally found in older buildings because they were manufactured earlier than the 12“x12” VAT’s; however, floor tile sizes and resilient floor covering applications vary greatly since many buildings have been re-tiled several times.”
 
If flooring materials containing asbestos are damaged, they become friable and are disturbed during demolition or renovation activities. These materials can release asbestos fibers into the air, which poses an immediate health concern.  “If an area undergoing remodeling activities is not properly contained, these asbestos fibers can settle as dust throughout a building,” said Ed Cahill, Vice President of the Asbestos Division at EMSL Analytical, Inc., which is one of the largest asbestos testing laboratories in North America. “EMSL provides testing services and supplies to help sample and identify materials that contain asbestos as well as air and dust testing to ensure containment is being maintained. We also provide personal protective equipment for workers tasked with removing asbestos-containing materials.”

To learn more about EMSL’s asbestos services, please visit www.AsbestosTestingLab.com or www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com .
 
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of food, environmental, and materials testing services and products to government agencies, industry professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies. 

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