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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Analytical labs can
test bricks for asbestosQuestion: Recent articles on illegal dumping indicated that some old bricks found on such sites may be contaminated with asbestos and/or cadmium. I have a pile of old bricks that I acquired about 18 years ago from the demolition of the old American Sanitary Laundry building at Kawaiahao and Emily streets. How can I determine if such bricks are contaminated or how can I distinguish fire bricks from regular bricks? If they are contaminated, what should I do? I built an outdoor barbecue grill using the bricks.
Answer: State health officials say the safest thing to do is to have a commercial laboratory analyze your bricks to see if they contain crystallized asbestos.
Many labs do asbestos testing and are listed in the telephone directory under "Laboratories, analytical," said Steve Chang, chief of the Department of Health's Solid & Hazardous Waste Branch. The state does not do such testing.
From the information you provided, Chang said it's hard to say whether the bricks contain asbestos.
With testing, "It could come out that there is very little asbestos or there might be nothing at all," he said.
Even if there is asbestos, if the bricks are cemented in place and are not breaking down in any way, it's probably OK, he said, but you may still want to get rid of them.
Both PVT Land Co. (which operates the private construction and demolition landfill in Nanakuli) and the city's Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill are authorized to accept asbestos-containing wastes that are properly contained, according to Suzanne Jones, the city's recycling coordinator.
"Asbestos is not a hazardous waste, per se," she said. "The health danger is in long-term exposure to friable particulate" -- dust or powder.
Jones said the city has received inquiries from householders who were doing home remodeling and suspected that some of the old materials might contain asbestos. "We always advise them to consult professionals in the removal and handling."
Q: Regarding the lack of parking for the handicapped at the federal building (Kokua Line, July 16): The General Services Administration allows contractors and VIPs to park there, so there shouldn't be a security issue if those people are allowed to park there and not the handicapped.
A: According to GSA spokeswoman Bethany Rich, based in San Francisco, the parking spaces you refer to are designated specifically for the GSA and not considered "public" parking.
"At times, we do assign them to contractors working on GSA building projects or to VIPs," she said. "However, these individuals are fully screened and provided parking only for the duration of their project."
Mahalo
To Dominic Williams, a driver with Handicabs of the Pacific. He helped my mother when she was in extreme pain, in a transfer from a wheelchair to a stretcher on the freeway. He went out of his way to massage and comfort her. He is a real Hawaiian hero. We hope he enjoyed the grinds we dropped off at the office. -- On behalf of Mrs. Jenny Doss
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