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63 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, September 17, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 26, 2004 Asbestos-laden pipe uncovered By EMILY MORRIS for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — A special clean-up crew removed piles of excavated dirt containing asbestos from behind ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum Wednesday. The timeline is unclear, but while excavating for a new road bed on Southern Oregon University property, a subcontractor came across a pipe containing tremolite, an asbestos mineral. The pipe required special handling, said Dale Kuykendall of Emerick Construction Co. Emerick is the contractor in charge of the university’s library enhancement project, and subcontracted the road work to Trinity Excavation Inc. Asbestos is a cancer-causing substance when its fibers become airborne and are breathed into the lungs. Dangerous when disturbed, asbestos was commonly used in construction until the 1970s. It is unclear whether Trinity employees recognized they were dealing with asbestos, but a university employee trained to recognize asbestos identified the pipe and later realized it was missing. The SOU employee questioned Trinity workers and only then discovered it had been dumped with the dirt behind ScienceWorks, 1500 E. Main St., said Craig Morris, interim director of the university’s physical plant. Advertisement "We need to keep this in perspective, it is a very old drainage pipe that came apart in large chunks, it won’t disintegrate into powder," said Morris. DEQ official Steve Coucher said there should not be any danger to anyone in the area unless they came in direct contact with the asbestos. University officials said they became aware of the asbestos pipe on Monday, and immediately put warning tape around the dump site. The tape said protective gear and ventilators are needed in the area. There is a bike path above the site and people are frequently in the area walking their dogs. A resident contacted the Ashland Daily Tidings about the contaminated piles Tuesday when he noticed the tape on his routine morning walk. "This stuff is like rock. Nothing major — like what happened at the school district," said Mike Reagan of Global Pacific Environmental, referring to a 1999 event when floor tiles containing asbestos were illegally removed from Walker Elementary School. Global is the clean-up contractor for the ScienceWorks site. "Everyone is exposed (to asbestos) on an ongoing basis; at any given point in time an air sample will show asbestos fibers," said Steve Coucher with the state Department of Environmental Quality. "The idea is to minimize the amount and number of times one’s exposed." Emily Morris is a freelance writer for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities