Asbestos Testing in Minneapolis Homes

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be testing some 30 to 50 homes in northeast Minneapolis for asbestos fibers, beginning Sept. 24. The agency will be testing for asbestos via air and dust samples.

The homes being tested are among a total of 260 Minneapolis residents that have already undergone outdoor asbestos testing and cleaning. The asbestos contamination came from W.R. Grace, a neighboring manufacturing plant that opened in the late 1930s and closed in 1989.

According to reports, W.R. Grace left a pile of the toxic material when it closed which has since polluted the surrounding neighborhood. Apparently the EPA requires companies to properly dispose of toxic materials and waste upon closure; however W.R. Grace refused, leaving the mess for the EPA to handle.

Testing Follows 2003 Minnesota Department of Health Study

According to Tannie Eshenaur, a Minnesota Department of Health spokeswoman, the EPA’s emergency response group will spearhead the testing while the environmental health unit will provide the residents with health and environmental safety guidelines during and after the testing.

Eshenaur said the testing itself should be completed in two weeks; however it may take up to 4 months to get the results.

Grant Allows for Asbestos-Related Health Tests

The University will be conducting its own research at the same time the EPA inspects the homes. The University will examine the Logan Park residents themselves for lung damage that may have resulted from asbestos exposure. Researchers will be testing participants for mesothelioma cancer, lung cancer and other asbestos-related illness that affect the lungs.

Funding for the tests came from a grant issued by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to Bruce Alexander, professor of environmental health sciences, because the plant was housed in the center of the residential community, researchers have been given the green light to study how the asbestos exposure has affected the community. Alexander expects the study to be complete within a year. 

(Source: mndaily.com)

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