May 22nd, 2008

A council of city lawyers finally awarded an asbestos abatement contract this week for a dilapidated apartment building, but the need for the asbestos removal is still coming under fire.

Sioux City officials thought that buying an old apartment building in the center of town would be a good idea. Ripping the dilapidated building down, then selling to a developer to revitalize the area was the original plan. But when it was discovered that the building was riddled with asbestos, the budget for the project increased greatly causing some to wonder if the acquisition was worth the effort. Two separate abatement contracts had to be awarded, since the roof was also found to contain levels of asbestos.

Some city officials think the asbestos should not be removed, and the building should just be torn down since the asbestos is already exposed. Others say that the city should just walk away from the project all together. But cooler heads pointed out that either idea would pose serious health risks to the public, since exposure to asbestos has been linked to types of cancer like mesothelioma, as well as other diseases. Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer that occurs when a person breathes in airborne asbestos particles, such as those created by demolishing a building containing asbestos. The removal will cost the city an additional $50,000 and work should begin soon.