At the Denver, Colorado, Federal Center, which U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is the use of approximately $40 million in U.S. recovery and Reinvestment Act Recovery Act (ARRA) funded, to construct 35 ha of photovoltaic panels.
Unfortunately, before the solar field construction can begin, the dirt have workers to several mounds with asbestos, probably dating when basement excavation for the new Federal Center building and demolition of old buildings on the site in piles of asbestos contaminated dirt and building backlog led, to remove remaining contaminated.
The three grassy hills in question is located on the southeast corner of the property, were in-situ to create Avenue a Visual and located sound baffle to protect of the site from heavy traffic on near Kipling and Alameda.
According to Rob Beierle, an environmental specialist with the Department of health, is distance, oversee his agency which began in June. Agency inspectors are constantly during remediation work on-site, and workers who come into contact with the ground are protected by respirators and wear protective clothing. Those next working the asbestos contaminated mounds are also monitoring devices on their belt to alert you to possible asbestos exposure.
While work continues, the air is constantly monitored. When strong winds occur (typical of the eastern front of the Rocky Mountain area) or when storms come, work is suspended and protected the site as much as possible continue to weather conditions and what keep Health Ministry officials back to wind speeds a safe level.
TRUCK used the debris to drag are lined with plastic, coated with plastic after filling of front loaders and finally to a permitted hazardous waste landfill driven near Denver International Airport to the East.
Constant aerial surveillance detected so far no there is asbestos in the air, which means people and in addition to the work site to some risk - are a fact you at the beginning of the project on informative leaflets delivered relayed from door to door.
In fact no according to Beierle, risk even though the remediation work for drivers on Kipling Avenue clearly visible Avenue or Alameda. In addition, the stakes are remained to asbestos fibres consistently wet (both on the ground and in the truck) to prevent airborne - a situation can result in asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, small cell and non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Asbestosis is acquired only by long exposure to asbestos, as in a work situation, although cases arise, can simply if asbestos and recording was sufficient to irritation, inflammation and, finally, scarring of lung tissue.
Asbestosis is not fatal, in and of itself, but the complications of the disease - including high blood pressure, heart disease and Pleural effusions (fluid in the lungs) can lead to death.
The small and non-small cell lung cancers are incurable, and are compounded by smoking, although treatments are reducing the size of tumors and thus improving breathing and pain relief.
Mesothelioma, a rather unique form of cancer, the mesothelial tissues (such as the panels that surround and protect the lungs, heart and abdominal organs), tends to resting much longer than typical cancers sometimes are, as long as 50 years before bursting into some kind of fast invasive cancer, attacks the vital tissues and vital organs.
Victims with mesothelioma diagnosed are often over one year to life, and this prediction is only slightly improved by palliative treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy - treatments that improve results rarely even in combination, by more than a few months.
At the Denver Federal Center, asbestos remediation drives with all due caution, as it should be. If all asbestos floor is removed, the Federal Agency will begin, solar array, this one size to 6 megawatts which - with the installed 1 megawatt in 2008 offer installing other - joined the Center with 84 percent of all renewable energy sources in the GSA building in the country used.
Souces: Denver channel, national institutes of health
