Shining a Light on the Asbestos Myth
A Brief History of Asbestos
Asbestos fibers incorporated in buildings and building materials were pervasive for decades. In fact, asbestos was mined and used for thousands of years before people understood that it was hazardous to health, a cause of lung cancer. Asbestos was used as a component of insulation for years. By 1955 a major epidemiological study demonstrated that asbestos workers have a tenfold risk above the general population of contracting lung cancer. The greatest risk was to miners of asbestos and those in the insulation manufacturing industry but regular construction workers, electricians, plumbers, etc. were also at risk.
Asbestos was banned in textured paint and patching compounds in 1977. In 1989, the year of the earthquake in Santa Cruz, and after a previous 10-year epidemiological study, the U.S. EPA announced that it would phase out the use of asbestos in almost all products in the U.S. The EPA also banned the use of asbestos in products that did not contain asbestos prior to the ban. Lobbyists for the asbestos industry successfully sued and a court of appeals overturned the ban and phase out. While use of asbestos is still banned in some products by other legislation and regulations, the substance can still be found in dozens of products manufactured today.
Up until the 1990s, the U.S. Navy operated naval shipyards and marine repair facilities used asbestos-containing materials. In fact, California was a leading producer of asbestos-containing materials at that time, for the Navy and other industries.
In 1989, after the 7.1 earthquake, repairs to non-structural elements of the downtown library building damaged by the earthquake included "comprehensive asbestos abatement." Records of that abatement were found "on site" in 2014, by the structural engineering company (Fratessa Forbes Wong) hired the City of Santa Cruz to provide a seismic evaluation of the 1968 building.
What asbestos may be left in the downtown library?
To hear opponents of renovating and revitalizing the current library, the building is riddled with asbestos. This is a scare tactic pure and simple. There are only two places where asbestos fibers may be incorporated in the building. The first is in the floor tiles of the second story hallway. The tiles themselves are not asbestos. Each tile may contain some single-digit percentage of asbestos fibers. It harms no one while it is encapsulated. This not friable asbestos. The second location is also encapsulated in the vertical steel columns of the first floor. Those columns did not fail in 1989 with a 7.1 earthquake whose epicenter was 7 miles away. Furthermore, the columns need not be disturbed in any way during renovation and revitalization of the library.
Consider this. If there really is a risk of asbestos, would the City of Santa Cruz have allowed all library patrons and library staff to occupy this so-called asbestos plagued building for the past 30+ years?! Wouldn't that be a huge liability on the part of the city?
Asbestos was banned in textured paint and patching compounds in 1977. In 1989, the year of the earthquake in Santa Cruz, and after a previous 10-year epidemiological study, the U.S. EPA announced that it would phase out the use of asbestos in almost all products in the U.S. The EPA also banned the use of asbestos in products that did not contain asbestos prior to the ban. Lobbyists for the asbestos industry successfully sued and a court of appeals overturned the ban and phase out. While use of asbestos is still banned in some products by other legislation and regulations, the substance can still be found in dozens of products manufactured today.
Up until the 1990s, the U.S. Navy operated naval shipyards and marine repair facilities used asbestos-containing materials. In fact, California was a leading producer of asbestos-containing materials at that time, for the Navy and other industries.
In 1989, after the 7.1 earthquake, repairs to non-structural elements of the downtown library building damaged by the earthquake included "comprehensive asbestos abatement." Records of that abatement were found "on site" in 2014, by the structural engineering company (Fratessa Forbes Wong) hired the City of Santa Cruz to provide a seismic evaluation of the 1968 building.
What asbestos may be left in the downtown library?
To hear opponents of renovating and revitalizing the current library, the building is riddled with asbestos. This is a scare tactic pure and simple. There are only two places where asbestos fibers may be incorporated in the building. The first is in the floor tiles of the second story hallway. The tiles themselves are not asbestos. Each tile may contain some single-digit percentage of asbestos fibers. It harms no one while it is encapsulated. This not friable asbestos. The second location is also encapsulated in the vertical steel columns of the first floor. Those columns did not fail in 1989 with a 7.1 earthquake whose epicenter was 7 miles away. Furthermore, the columns need not be disturbed in any way during renovation and revitalization of the library.
Consider this. If there really is a risk of asbestos, would the City of Santa Cruz have allowed all library patrons and library staff to occupy this so-called asbestos plagued building for the past 30+ years?! Wouldn't that be a huge liability on the part of the city?
Seismic Evaluation of the Santa Cruz Downtown Library
by Fratessa Forbes Wong, Structural Engineers
31 October 2014
http://dontburythelibrary.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/6/7/12675463/seismic_evaluation.compressed.pdf
From page 9 of the report:
"A site visit was made on October 10, 2014 to the currently occupied Library facility. The purpose of the site visit was to compare what presently exists with what is shown on the original construction drawings. No significant differences were discovered and the building was found to be in very good condition.
• From documentation found on site, repairs to non-structural elements damaged from the Loma Prieta earthquake included comprehensive asbestos abatement, ..."
by Fratessa Forbes Wong, Structural Engineers
31 October 2014
http://dontburythelibrary.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/6/7/12675463/seismic_evaluation.compressed.pdf
From page 9 of the report:
"A site visit was made on October 10, 2014 to the currently occupied Library facility. The purpose of the site visit was to compare what presently exists with what is shown on the original construction drawings. No significant differences were discovered and the building was found to be in very good condition.
• From documentation found on site, repairs to non-structural elements damaged from the Loma Prieta earthquake included comprehensive asbestos abatement, ..."