Central Point Oregon City Employee Charges Asbestos Exposure

In the mid-sized town of Central Point, population 16,500, an employee who asked that his name be withheld has charged that his work for the city exposed himself and other city work crews to asbestos.

Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division officers are investigating charges that the deconstruction of a 100-year-old house at 712 Manzanita Street, on the northwest side of the city, created a health hazard for city workers.

Asbestos, a fibrous mineral used in insulation, floor and roofing tiles, tile glues and acoustical ceiling panels up to the 1970s - when health officials began to recognize its dangers - is the primary cause of mesothelioma, a largely incurable form of lung cancer whose symptoms don't become apparent for up to five decades.

By the time doctors diagnose mesothelioma, it has usually advanced too far to treat. Most patients die within 18 months. Exposure to asbestos can also trigger such lifelong ailments as non-mesothelial lung cancer, cancer of the pharynx, cancer of the esophagus, stomach cancer, colon cancer, cancer of the rectum, and asbestosis, a breathing disorder similar to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, in its symptoms.

The potential contamination of city employees was confirmed by the state's Occupational Health and Safety (OSHA) spokesperson, Melanie Mesaros, who acknowledged that an investigation was in progress based on samples taken from the site. Mesaros expects results to be available within fourteen days.

Central Point Public Works Director Bob Pierce concurs, noting that the unnamed employee originally reported the potential exposure to the state's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) occupational health division a week after the deconstruction (which occurred on Feb. 11) was completed and the materials removed for disposal.

Absent the materials, Mesaros said testing will be done on the site's ground to determine if asbestos was present. According to other DEQ officials, ground testing is adequate to determine whether asbestos was present before and during demolition.

According to Pierce, the two-story house, which burned so badly in 2005 it was uninhabitable, was thoroughly inspected by a city official before the 20-minute deconstruction process began. Pierce, who said that his primary concern was safety, added that little or no dust was observable during the process, that all appropriate paperwork was filed with the court and relevant agencies before the teardown commenced, and that steps were taken beforehand to insure worker's were protected.

Unfortunately, Pierce also admitted that he - and by extension the city - did not know if the building contained asbestos, and added: "...if we did something wrong on a technicality, we want to know about it and correct it."

To that end, Pierce assured reporters that in future the city would test for asbestos before engaging in any more teardowns.

The Manzanita address was the first house to come down after the city passed a set of ordinances in 2008 to eliminate ‘blight', or uninhabitable and unusable buildings in residential and commercial districts. Property owner Bob Medcalf was not available for comment.