EPA To Evaluate New Asbestos Removal Method -- MesoLink.org -- 01-03-06

The Environmental Protection Agency is to evaluate a new method that could be used in the removal of the carcinogenic substance, asbestos. A draft Quality Assurance Project Plan is being released by the EPA, and this will entail comparing a newer method for removal of asbestos from older buildings to current and older methods that have been or are being used.

The testing of the new method is to take place in Fort Chaffee at a remote location, and this will be done in the early part of 2006. The location has been selected to ensure that the public is not put at risk through exposure, and extensive monitoring of environmental effects will take place during the testing period.

With the new method friable asbestos, which is the type that can be easily converted to powder through crushing, is removed. The remaining asbestos, such as that used in walls, is then removed through liquid agents during the demolition process of the older buildings. It is thought that this method could minimize the risk of releasing asbestos into the air during the removal and demolition process.

The project and testing has been arranged through a number of authorities, and this includes Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the EPA.