The agency is hopeful that wetting down the hazardous material before it is removed will reduce risks for asbestos removal workers, promote further urban renewal, and decrease the costs of building demolitions.
Currently, buildings with asbestos cannot be demolished until surrounding buildings and areas are protected from airborne contaminants. Asbestos in these buildings would have to be covered in plastic, air sucked out of the building before the material is removed, and once removed the material would have to be transported in plastic bags to a hazardous waste site.
The new method will require removal specialists to wet down the interior of the building before the building is demolished with the asbestos inside, and then during demolition, the water run-off would have to be monitored.
A similar test was completed in St. Louis, but residents there have filed suit against the local airport for violating the Clean Air Act.
