The Southwyck Shopping Mall in Toledo, Ohio is currently scheduled for demolition in the upcoming months. Earlier this year, several documents reported the contamination of asbestos and black mold within the mall. And because the presence of asbestos can create serious health hazards, the Environmental Protection Agency may provide funding to ensure the work is carried out safely.

Most state laws prohibit buildings containing asbestos to be demolished until the asbestos is completely removed. In addition, all asbestos must be removed using techniques such as wet removal to prevent the dispersal of large amounts of airborne asbestos fibers.

Airborne asbestos fibers can float in the air for several weeks. If these toxic fibers are inhaled or ingested into the body, serious diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis can occur. Other known diseases that can result from asbestos inhalation or ingestion include gastrointestinal cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer.

Malignant mesothelioma can take several decades to develop after initial exposure occurs, which often makes mesothelioma treatment difficult. Because of this, most patients diagnosed with the disease receive palliative treatment rather than curative.

The mall’s problems became known in April when a city inspector said the condition of the mall was a health hazard for employees and the public. The inspector also suggested the building might have to be closed because of the contamination.

At the time, mall management was given 72 hours to clean up the mold and contain the asbestos before being shut down. Inspections following cleanup operations found no evidence of uncontained asbestos or mold, and as a result, the mall was allowed to remain open.

The city, however, had other plans for the mall and has long wanted to gain control of the property. Even with the asbestos and mold problems resolved, mall management was forced to close the mall and follow city instructions.

City Mayor Carty Finkbeiner says the mall’s owner is willing to cooperate with the city’s plans, and that the Southwyck Shopping Mall will be demolished by the end of December.

The city plans to use the $1.5 million federal loan from the EPA to remove the asbestos from the property and demolish the remains. However, the city may only take the loan if it agrees to complete demolition by the end of the year.

Mayor Finkbeiner is confident the demolition will be completed in time, and local developer Larry Dillon hopes to complete the construction of the new mall by 2010.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 11:49 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.