Century Old Building Cleared of Asbestos to Begin Demolition
Oak Cliff Christian Church in Dallas, Texas is being cleared of all asbestos containing materials to make way for demolition of a building more than a hundred years old. The building site was bought last summer by the Dallas School District with plans to construct a new high school.
Although the Church building is over a hundred years old, it is not protected as a landmark site and therefore there are no restrictions for tearing it down and replacing it with a new structure.
Asbestos, a carcinogenic fiber that was added to many construction products until the mid 1980’s, is very costly to manage and contain in older buildings. Unless protected as a historic site or for other justifiable reasons, it is usually more cost efficient to demolish existing structure built with asbestos containing materials and rebuild a new one free of toxic substances.
Asbestos has been known to cause many serious illnesses, including asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. The actual disease caused by exposure takes decades to develop so many do not realize the danger posed by coming into contact with asbestos.
Asbestos when intact and in good condition does not pose a health hazard. However, when disturbed or damaged such as in the case of renovations or demolitions, asbestos can become friable and pose a threat to anyone in the vicinity. Friable means that the asbestos can be reduced to dust by hand pressure and become airborne. Once airborne, it is easily inhaled or ingested into the body where fibers become lodged and eventually cause asbestos related diseases.
Because of the dangers of exposure, buildings slotted for demolition must have all asbestos removed before the actual razing of the building begins. This ensures the safety of workers, others in the vicinity, and the environment. Contractors qualified to perform asbestos abatement work are currently removing all asbestos from the Oak Cliff Christian Church in preparation for demolition and rebuilding.
