Asbestos concerns bring demolition project to a standstill

October 23, 2009

Just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entrepreneur Jane Altman was making plans for the new 29-foot mahogany bar she planned to remove from the now-closed Mountain View Inn. But all of a sudden, work was brought to a standstill.

"A state (Department of Environmental Protection) inspector came through and a little while later … a woman came through saying to all the people who were removing things, ‘Get out. Get out. Right now, you’ve got to get out. It may not be safe in here,’ "said Altman, who is converting the former Elks building in Mt. Pleasant into a banquet and meeting facility.

"They were even saying we had to leave our tools behind and depart immediately, but we were able to retrieve our tools,” said Altman.

The state inspector ordered the building "secured" until it can be determined if asbestos is present. Exposure to asbestos exposure has been linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive type of cancer.

Palliative mesothelioma treatment methods are available, including chemo; however, there is no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms.

DEP spokeswoman Helen Humphreys said, "I cannot say at this point how long or when that will be done," Humphreys said. "One of our inspectors went to the site and noticed that the plaster had been disturbed during the removal of plumbing facilities in the restroom. We’re not saying that asbestos has actually been released at this point, but we’re saying the possibility is there," Humphreys said.

"If that plaster had not been disturbed, there would not have been a problem in all likelihood because (the asbestos) would have still been contained," she said.