May 12th, 2005

Residents and visitors to El Dorado Hills will be surprised to see a bunch of adults playing in the open areas in boiler type suits. The adults are riding their bikes around the playground where children are normally found playing, they are playing in the sand, and basically kicking up as much dust as possible as they take over the playground area.

However, the scene is not as bizarre as it may seem. The grown-ups are actually researchers from the Environmental Protection Agency. And the reason that they are playing in the open areas is to test for asbestos levels that may be present when the kids that usually play there kick up dust through the course of their play.

One parent told reporters, “My son came home and said, 'Mom these guys are out playing what we did for eight seasons and they're wearing those suits and we just did it,' so we've been exposed already.”

The researchers are testing for the possibility of pollution and contamination through asbestos when the ground is disturbed creating dust. One official stated, "If the asbestos remains undisturbed, there's really not a problem, it's when activity stirs it up and puts fibers into the breathing zone, that's really where the problem can occur."