Asbestos Found in Siding From Buildings Razed by Lawndale

Preliminary results from an Air Quality Management District test of siding taken from buildings demolished at the former Lawndale city yard indicate the material contains asbestos, an agency air pollution specialist said Friday.

Samples of the siding, which were tested by chemists at the AQMD laboratory last week, will be sent to an outside laboratory to confirm the agency’s findings, said specialist Michael Haynes.

Whether the city is cited or fined will depend on a number of factors, including the results of the independent laboratory’s test, the amount of asbestos in the material and the size of the buildings that were demolished, Haynes said.

The AQMD obtained the siding from Anthony Reed, whose mother and sister live next door to the old city yard at 167th Street and Osage Avenue. Reed said the material had been separated by city workers from other debris at the site during the razing and placed in 55-gallon drums near his family’s property.

Siding Covered Up

City Councilwoman Carol Norman said she was told by city officials that the siding material was covered by another surface and was not discovered until demolition was well under way.

“It was just one back wall, not the whole building,” Norman said. “It’s not something that could have been anticipated.”

Public Works Director Jim Sanders and City Manager Jim Arnold, who inspected the buildings before they were razed, were unavailable for comment Friday.

The three old houses on the lot, which had been used by the city as storage space, were being torn down after residents complained that they had fallen into disrepair.

When a contractor who had won a bid to demolish the buildings failed to show up, the city canceled his contract and decided to do the job itself, Sanders said in an interview before the demolition was completed. City officials and the bidder had inspected the building and did not believe it contained asbestos.

Sanders helped city employees raze the buildings, hauling debris into bins with a rented crawler loader he had learned to operate in high school. The work was begun June 22 and finished July 3.

Several days after demolition began, however, Reed and other nearby residents, George and Cathy Norman, complained to the AQMD of possible asbestos contamination from dust drifting from the demolition site into their yards and homes.

George Norman said his wife called the AQMD because she was concerned about possible health risks to the couple and their 2-year-old son, Joshua, from the work.

Dust and Dirt

“You should have seen all the dust and dirt that was flying,” said Norman, who was home with his son during the day, when much of the demolition was done.

“We woke up one morning to see them tearing it down,” Norman said. The couple at first had their windows open, he said, because during warm weather “the first thing you do when you wake up is open your windows.”

Haynes, who visited the site to investigate complaints of asbestos contamination, said that, if the AQMD’s test results are confirmed, the agency would continue its investigation, possibly including another visit to the lot to test for asbestos content in dirt and other debris.

Haynes said the agency would issue a final report this week.

“We’re trying to gather all the additional information we can,” Haynes said.