May 20th, 2008

Renovations at a Florida county courthouse uncovered the presence of asbestos in the old building. The asbestos will only be removed from high traffic areas to insure the material does not become airborne.

Renovations planned for one Florida county courthouse will have to be delayed as bids are accepted for asbestos removal. While surveyors were reviewing the property, they found that asbestos was present in a couple of rooms in the structure, built in 1955. The find will add to the budget, but was discovered early enough to pose no danger to the public and should not cause delays in the renovations. The asbestos will only be removed from the commission chambers, since that is a high traffic area.

Asbestos in the other rooms is considered to be safe enough to leave in the building, since foot traffic is small and the likelihood of the material becoming airborne is slim. Inhaling airborne asbestos has been known to cause serious health problems like emphysema and mesothelioma. An aggressive form of lung cancer, mesothelioma results from breathing airborne asbestos particles. The asbestos found in the commission chamber’s floor is in danger of becoming airborne since town meetings are held there, so it is being removed.