With the onset of the demolition of the Coleman factory in downtown Wichita, Kansas, Sedgwick County commissioners have learned that the site’s asbestos removal will cost about $95,000 less than initially expected, as much less roofing material is affected than first believed.
Asbestos is a highly toxic mineral that was used throughout the 19th and 20th century in a variety of construction materials. Its use was finally banned in the United States in 1989 for causing such fatal diseases as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective membrane of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen.
At first, Asbestos removal was estimated to cost $120,200, a sum which has been drastically reduced to $24,550. Only 5,200 square feet of roofing material contains asbestos, when it was originally believed that 65,000 square feet were contaminated. Although this error in detection comes as a welcome surprise, Commissioner Jim Skelton believes that it never should have occurred. Asbestos removal contractor American Metropolitan Environmental Inc., are responsible for the mistake, and it was county staff that detected the discrepancy.
The county purchased the site for $600,000 and is leveling its buildings to create a parking lot for Intrust Bank Arena and downtown. Asbestos abatement began in early March and is expected to be completed by March 17th. All asbestos must be removed before the buildings can be demolished to prevent asbestos exposure. When disturbed, asbestos releases microscopic, carcinogenic fibers that become airborne and can be inhaled by anyone in the vicinity. These fibers can remain in the lungs for decades, eventually causing pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, cancers specific to the lining of the lung and abdomen respectively.