Contractors demand details on contamination


Contractors working on the north wing of the Salinas Courthouse have walked off the job, demanding data to prove they are working in a clean environment after the discovery two weeks ago of an airborne release of asbestos.

The contractors say they will not return until they are given information on how much asbestos they were exposed to Feb. 17.
On Thursday, the courthouse's basement was closed after an air monitor detected another incidence of elevated airborne asbestos. Though sheriff's deputies were told it was safe to hold inmates in the basement and use their subterranean office, a subcontractor who went to the basement to retrieve a tool found "moon-suited" workers vacuuming and wiping the area for asbestos.

Thursday afternoon, the president of C&W Environmental Consulting, Inc., the private company monitoring asbestos during the courthouse's renovation, and officials from Cal-OSHA, the state branch of the federal occupational safety and health administration, met with court employees, sheriff's deputies and contractors to address safety concerns.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen that can cause asbestosis, or scarring of the lungs, as well as cancer, though it was once a popular building material.

"Everybody has been refusing to go into the building," said a contractor who asked not to be named.
Since Feb. 21-22, electricians, plumbers, carpenters and ventilation workers have refused to work until C&W Environmental Consulting Inc. reveals the levels of asbestos they were exposed to.

"Basically nobody's on the job," said the contractor. "Lots of the guys don't know if they will go back even if we get the test results. They feel they've been lied to so much those guys just don't have any credibility."


Tainted air samples
Much of the subcontractors' concern centers on an incident that began late Feb. 16 when air samples were taken from the first floor. Results of the samples showed airborne asbestos above acceptable standards, but the results did not come in until after contractors and courthouse employees spent the next day working in the area.

After C&W discovered the higher levels of asbestos, the company "called for the stopping of all asbestos abatement effort and the cleaning of the first and second floors by asbestos abatement contractors," according to a memo obtained by The Herald.
That night, the courthouse was cleaned for asbestos. Contractors were not alerted to asbestos contamination until five days later.

The memo included a brief explanation of C&W's testing and how asbestos may have been released into the air.
"No sampling is occurring during the daytime when the other construction activities are occurring and county employees are working. Construction activities may create sufficient vibration to release low levels of asbestos fibers from the dust on the top of the ceiling tiles and/or voids and cavities. Careful planning of construction activities is necessary to foresee the impact of that activity."

C&W President Don Diel, a certified asbestos consultant, said his company is monitoring the courthouse to establish a control sample of air quality. Ongoing, 24-hour monitoring is not being done, he said.
Diel acknowledged Thursday that contractors have demanded data detailing the levels of asbestos they were exposed to, and that they will not return to work until C&W provides them with the information.

Two weeks after the request, a worker told The Herald that no data have been delivered.


Men in 'moon suits'
Diel said Thursday's elevated asbestos levels were discovered when results of earlier monitoring came in around 6:15 a.m. showing airborne asbestos in the courthouse's basement. Mysteriously, there is no asbestos removal in the basement.

By 7:45 a.m., sheriff's deputies were notified of the hazard, though they were told it was safe to put inmates in basement holding cells while they waited for their court appearances. The holding cell was used throughout the day. Sheriff's deputies were allowed to use the small office in the basement as well, though other county employees were told not to go into the basement.
However, a county maintenance worker said he entered the building at 7 a.m. and received no warning of the asbestos release.

An electrician said he entered the basement between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to retrieve tools and discovered a team of three men wearing plastic "moon-suits" and respirators. The electrician was told the men were removing asbestos. The contractor said there was no warning of the danger placed on the door through which he enters the basement.
Sixteen people, including four sheriff's deputies, county maintenance workers and courthouse contractors, attended an afternoon meeting held in the county administration building. Diel spent most of the meeting explaining his company's work and answering questions.

"No bones about it," he said. "This is a difficult project."
He explained the monitoring systems in place and reiterated measures his company has gone through to monitor courthouse air. He told workers that the lag time between receiving test samples and analysis goes into the next work day.

"Is it acceptable? It is what it is," he said.
Diel told the small crowd that by Monday, his company will post to its Web site daily air quality tests with an explanation from him that can be linked to the county's Web site. He told the group that it was not uncommon for buildings to undergo asbestos abatement during construction and allow employees inside at the same time.

But one contractor said ideally, operations would have moved outside and the building would have been shut down until asbestos abatement and construction are finished.



By VIRGINIA HENNESSEY and GEORGE B. SANCHEZ

Monteray Herald Salinas Bureau


What is asbestos?
Asbestos is the name given to a number of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals that have been mined for their useful properties such as thermal insulation, chemical and thermal stability, and high tensile strength. • Why is asbestos a hazard? Asbestos is made up of microscopic bundles of fibers that may become airborne when distributed. These fibers get into the air and may become inhaled into the lungs, where they may cause significant health problems. Source: Environmental Protection Agency Web site