February 4th, 2008

An Iowa city that was hoping to have a pile of asbestos cleaned up by the New Year will now have to wait a little longer. The winning bid for the work was rejected, and new bidding will start next week.

Sioux City hoped that the pile of asbestos sitting where an old livestock exchange used to be would be cleaned up by the start of 2008. But the winning bid for the work was rejected and new bidding will take place next week due to confusion over the paperwork submitted for the job. Sioux City did not specify if the winning bidder had to be licensed to complete asbestos abatement, or if the winning contractor could subcontract the asbestos handling to a licensed company.

The licensing is a real concern, since the removal of asbestos has to be carried out by a professional in order to avoid putting the workers and public at risk. Mishandling and illegally removing asbestos can cause the material to break apart and become airborne. Airborne asbestos can then be ingested or inhaled, resulting in many serious types of illness including emphysema and a form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. The danger of mesothelioma is a major concern, considering the cancer can take decades to manifest and is often fatal when diagnosed.