The Queens Tribune is running a story on a long-standing dispute between the property managers and residents at Bell Park Gardens in Bayside, New York over the safety of an asbestos abatement project. Some of the residents at Bell Park Gardens, along with members of the Local 78 union, allege that the abatement has been performed in an unsafe manner and that residents have been exposed to asbestos dust in their homes and in other parts of the complex. Residents and union workers showed reporters from the Queens Tribune construction debris in and around a number of Bell Park’s housing units that they claim contains asbestos dust and particulate matter. The Tribune has collected some of this debris and will conduct independent testing on it to determine whether asbestos is present or not.

The property managers insist that everything is “up to par” and that all regulations have been met. However, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the department which monitors and enforces asbestos regulations, inspected the project at least five different times during 2008 and twice fined the contractor for violating city regulations that require wetting the asbestos before removing it.

Results of the testing will be annouced as soon as they come in. Asbestos is a dangerous mineral and is known to cause malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer, as well as a number of other non-malignant, yet still quite serious pulmonary disorders, such as asbestosis.

Labels: asbestos