Asbestos Found In Storm Debris From Museum -- MesoLink.org -- 07-21-06

Storm damage to the Virginia Museum of Transportation has resulted in crews having to deal with asbestos laden debris, taking precautions to protect the public from being exposed to asbestos contamination that could become airborne from the debris.

The museum, located in Roanoke, was hit by storms and suffered extensive storm damage last week, where part of the building’s roof was blown off altogether. A good deal of rubble was created from the storm damage, and tests found that there was asbestos present in the rubble.

Crews worked to complete a temporary roof for the building later last week. However, because of the asbestos in the rubble the crews were unable to clear the debris just yet for fear of contaminating the air. Instead, the debris has been contained and the museum has been temporarily closed.

Asbestos is a substance that was used in a number of applications in buildings, and is a known carcinogenic that can also cause a number of other health problems as well.