Asbestos found during demolition at Plant 16

While performing filter equipment demolition activities at the Town of Amherst Water Pollution Control Facility on Dec. 7, town employees encountered a pipe that was later determined to contain asbestos fibers.

The fibers were bound in a cement matrix and were considered to be nonfriable, or not easily rendered airborne, Town Engineer Jeffrey S. Burroughs said.

Eight town employees, who were working in the building when the pipe was disturbed, were seen by a physician for health monitoring. No health concerns were determined.

Once the presence of the asbestos was suspected, the building was closed until a licensed abatement contractor could be brought in to remove the pipe. Plant management notified the New York State Department of Labor Asbestos Control Bureau, and through the abatement contractor, the town received emergency abatement permission so that critical filter operations could be maintained, according to Burroughs.

Air samples collected in the filter, building and surrounding areas by a NYS-licensed industrial hygiene firm have indicated that concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers were less than standard laboratory detection limits for all samples. It is believed that employee exposure was negligible.