After several starts and stops, the search for asbestos in piles of rubble at the Summerlin Road and College Parkway flyover project site, in Fort Myers, Florida, has begun once again. Asbestos, the toxic mineral commonly found in pre-1980’s construction materials, is linked to such fatal respiratory diseases as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major cavities and organs.The search efforts were sparked by the Posen construction company’s attempts to construct an overpass. For two years now, asbestos contractor AMRC and Posen have been working on the site. During that time AMRC has shifted through tons of dirt looking for asbestos. This has left the project a year behind schedule.
"Every time season rolls around we think it's going to be over. This is the third season we've had," said Eddie Vozella of University Grill, which has lost 20% of its business due to the construction.
There are still 10,000 cubic yards of soil that have to be inspected, and crews hope to complete the inspection within four to six weeks. However, the Department of Environmental Protection (EPA) says Posen is very close to exceeding the legal limits of asbestos which stand at 35 cubic feet. Thus far, 22 cubic feet of asbestos has been found.
Even when all of the dirt has been sifted, there is still testing and cleanup to be conducted. Asbestos poses a huge environmental and health threat, as simply stepping on contaminated soil can kick up carcinogenic fibers that once inhaled can generate malignant mesothelioma, an incurable and difficult disease to detect.
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