City Hall Closes for Asbestos

Article Added October 19th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story

Another California government building was shut as a result of an asbestos scare. The Salinas City Hall was closed after fibers, believed to be asbestos, were found in the air ducts.

Work at the Salinas County City Hall was shut down abruptly after a cleaning crew found dust in the air ducts of the building. Since the building had had a problem with asbestos prior to this occurrence, work was halted until tests on the dust could be completed. Air and sample tests did detect a small level of asbestos, but it was in small enough amounts that the cleaning did continue. The second of four scheduled cleanings was delayed until a new time could be found for the cleaning.

About 25 employees were affected by the cleaning, which did release miniscule amounts of asbestos into the air. After this was found, a new cleaning schedule will be needed so that other employees will not be affected. All employees in that wing were located to other parts of the building until further plans were made. High levels of asbestos were detected in the Monterey County Courthouse earlier this summer, which continues to pose problems for renovations crews attempting to update the building there.

Article Added October 19th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story