Asbestos discovery stalls prison building project

Grayson County, Virginia - Builders working on the $100 million state prison project in Grayson County, Virginia, have hit a snag that may delay the project significantly. The snag? A vein of asbestos has been struck during digging on the site. Grading began on the site last fall, but it wasn’t until May 2008 that a state-hired contractor noticed what appeared to be asbestos-a brown-colored substance softer than the surrounding rock. Virginia Department of Corrections director of communications Larry Traylor says work ceased on the site on May 9. Subsequently state officials tested the brown substance and confirmed that it was, in fact, asbestos. “Additional tests to determine if asbestos particles had been present in the air were performed and those results indicated no asbestos particles present,” said Traylor. Asbestos veins occur naturally in certain types of rock, and in fact low levels of asbestos are thought to be present in around two thirds of the earth’s crust. The fibrous mineral is highly dangerous if the fibers become airborne, as they can then be inhaled. Inhalation of asbestos can cause serious and lethal diseases, including asbestosis and mesothelioma. The fibers are little threat, however, unless they are airborne. Larry Traylor says further tests and evaluation will be carried out during the next few weeks, and state officials will begin developing a strategy to manage the asbestos threat and get construction underway on the site. Work will begin on site next week to remediate the asbestos vein, headed by contractor Balfour Beatty. Signs will be posted on site and awareness training for all jobsite staff will be performed. County administrator William Ring says the discovery of asbestos “should not change the overall plan. They have to develop a plan to deal with what they have found. The site is still the selected site.” In addition, Ring says the delay shouldn’t affect the scheduled completion of the project, and the prison should still be open in 2010 as originally planned. However, it hasn’t yet been determined how much the asbestos remediation will add to the cost of the project. Depending on the amount of asbestos present in the vein, and the amount which needs to be removed, a significant chunk of money could be added to the budget, due to the need for trained personnel for some aspects of the removal, and the need to dispose of the asbestos in locations which are equipped and licensed to handle it. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)