Officials Testing for Asbestos at Sinclair Plant

By Claire Kellett, Anchor/Reporter

With downtown Cedar Rapids at the top of the photo, Cedar Rapids Fire Departments crews spray water on a smoldering fire and demolition crews from D.W. Zinser work to knock down parts of the interconnected buildings at the former Farmstead Foods site Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, in southeast Cedar Rapids. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Tools

By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Dec 18, 2009 at 11:19 PM CST

Story Updated: Dec 18, 2009 at 11:33 PM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids is waiting for more test results to determine if the Sinclair meatpacking plant has significant amounts of asbestos.

A large part of that abandoned plant has been burning since Tuesday. Earlier this week, the city said asbestos was not a major concern and cited an engineering report. Now the city says there was verbal miscommunication with that engineering firm, the Howard R. Green Company. And it is doing more air monitoring for asbestos substances.

The engineering firm told The Gazette it did a structural analysis of this site before the fire and found some loose insulating material in six different locations.

It tested the material and found a little asbestos in one of those locations. It was a small sample in such an isolated area, that the city is now doing much larger tests for asbestos.

Shortly after the fire at the Sinclair meatpacking plant broke out Tuesday, the city performed tests for asbestos contamination. Those early results came back negative. But conflicting test results from a local engineering firm has the city conducting more extensive tests.

"What we are doing now is not only doing air monitoring for particulates and asbestos, we are also doing spot sampling physically to see if it is on site." Cedar Rapids flood recovery director Greg Eyerly expects those results sometime Monday. He says positive test results from the old, flood-damaged site won't be too surprising. "Based on the age of the building, we know buildings that age and some even newer many times contain those types of materials."

Even if there is asbestos, firefighters won't change the way they are fighting the fire. Asbestos does not burn. "Keep in mind if indeed we do end up with positive samples for asbestos, we are doing all the mitigation steps you would normally do in the case you are demolishing a hazard with asbestos," Eyerly says. In other words, a large amount of water is the best way to contain asbestos at demolition sites. And firefighters have been dousing the Sinclair site with water since Tuesday morning.

The Linn County Public Health Department does not have an expert for asbestos, nor does it monitor for asbestos. But it does track particulates - or dust particles - in the air. The department is still advising those with asthma or other respiratory conditions who live near the meatpacking plant to stay indoors as much as possible and to limit exercise.

Next Article White House Revamping Birth Control Policy

Conversation Guidelines

Be Kind

Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.

Share Knowledge

Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.

Stay focused

Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.

Report Trouble

Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.

read the full guidelines here »

Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Violent crime, sexual abuse, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.