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Could I get in trouble for this?
Glaine:
--- Quote from: shardian on January 12, 2007, 10:02:55 am ---
--- Quote from: Glaine on January 12, 2007, 09:51:06 am ---That is so messed up. It seems like I remember active public buildings still having asbestos as being illegal, if not they should be. Thats like saying, "Lets recycle toilet water into drinking water, only a couple of kids will get sick - so thats OK". And you said they started cleaning it up over the summer so those particles are probably floating around now.
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That is funny. If having asbestos is illegal in existing structures, then pretty much every single older public building would be shut down. Pretty much all of them built before 1970 are loaded with the stuff. My college had it everywhere. It is in ceilings, floors, walls, around piping and ducts. Asbestos was the best insulating material available back then. Unfortunately, no one knew it destroyed your lungs as a side effect.
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I didn't say every building, just the ones still being used. I know of lots of abandoned buildings with it, some to be torn down, some not. Like I said, I wasn't really sure if it was illegal (meaning building-code wise), but that it should be if it isn't. I don't want a lung full of crud when I go to the Library.
Why your college doesn't have to remove it I don't know.
Thats like sticking with VHS because its cheaper even though it is no longer a valid option.
I'm not fighting with you on this, we're on the same page. And clearly if it is everywhere like you say, it probably is not considered a threat to building code, etc.
ChadTower:
--- Quote from: shardian on January 12, 2007, 09:56:16 am ---As to getting in trouble, you should have no problems whatsoever. You can always tell the newspaper you want to remain anonymous, and they have to oblige.
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They do not have to oblige at all. There are no laws requiring they honor requests for anonymity. There are ethics that require honoring anonymity but we all know exactly how ethical your average newspaper reporter tends to be. Local papers divulge their sources all the time against the source's wish. A woman down the street from me "anonymously" blew the whistle on some contractors that were dumping near her house and not only did they give her name but they gave her address too.
Asbestos is NOT illegal in buildings. It is illegal, obviously, to put in new asbestos. Any work done on the building that exposes existing asbestos must remove the asbestos. Any accidentally exposed asbestos, or asbestos that is not fully sealed in, must be removed. Asbestos that is still fully housed (e.g. asbestos insulated pipes where the insulation housing is fully intact and is not being disturbed) can legally remain until it encounters one of the aforementioned situations. There are also situations where rather than remove the asbestos it can simply be sealed in. Here in MA it is fairly common to find an old house with asbestos shingles. If they are in good condition they can stay until they are not. It's common for people, rather than removing them, to enclose them with vinyl siding, though obviously that drives the cost of installation way up. My house has vinyl siding over asbestos shingles (was that way when we bought it) and my brother in law's house is covered with asbestos shingles.
BTW, those same laws mostly apply to other hazardous outdated materials like lead paint, too.
shardian:
I did not mean abandoned buildings, I meant in-use buildings. There is a reason why asbestos abatement contractors live in mansions. That reason is they can charge whatever they want, which they do, and people have to pay it.
Because of this, it is not possible to remove all the asbestos. Doing that would require a complete strip down of a building - done by specialized asbestos contractors that charge 3 times as much as a standard contractor. The cost would be outrageous.
ChadTower:
Yeah, they pretty much pull asbestos as they have to and leave the vast majority of it there.
divemaster127:
When I was in college some of the old dorms had this in it, cleanup crews came in & sealed off these dorms with plastic over everything & you had to stay so far away from the areas, this is serious stuff
dm