Vacant Mills To Be Assessed – Orders From Governor -- MesoLink.org -- 10-18-05

Officials have been ordered to check all vacant mills across Connecticut by the governor in order to ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises or dangers present in the event of a fire. Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell want a detailed assessment to be carried out on all vacant mills following a recent fire at a mill that was identified as having asbestos present.

The InterRoyal Mill in Plainfield was set ablaze in April this year, and the clean up still continues. Asbestos was present in the building, and this resulted in many evacuations and the risk of contamination in the area from debris and dust caused by the fire. This is an incident that the governor does not want repeated, hence the order to carefully assess all the vacant mills in the state.

The Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security has been ordered to carry out the assessment, and officials will be required to collate information regarding any risks that could result from hazardous materials in the mills. The governor said that the assessments were also required to enable firefighters to better handle any fires because they would be fully aware of the risks.

Many vacant mills are known to contain a range of hazardous materials, including asbestos, as a large number were closed down at a time when there were fewer regulations about the substances and materials used in buildings.