Work crews find asbestos in City Hall ceiling

Tariq Malik

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A portion of City Hall remains closed today -- to

save people, not money.

City officials have quarantined the first floor of the civic building,

home base for such services as the water department, treasurer’s office

and support personnel, as a precautionary measure after discovering a

small amount of asbestos coating metal beams within the structure.

“The amount we’ve found is way below the levels considered dangerous

by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Air Quality Management

District,” said Rich Barnard, a spokesman for the city.

Work crews found the substance last week behind ceiling tiles during a

renovation to maximize work space in the Public Works Department. The

material was sent out for tests and confirmed to be asbestos.

Only about 0.01% of the material found at City Hall contained

asbestos, a carcinogen known to cause cancer in humans. Similar results

were found in tests of different areas on the first floor.

Sam Atwood, spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management

District, said any substance consisting of 1% asbestos with a crumbly

nature is considered dangerous to humans because it can break off and be

inhaled into the lungs.

Asbestos, he added, was used in the construction of older buildings.

City Hall, at 2000 Main St., was built during the 1970s, city officials

said.

Assistant City Administrator Bill Workman said Monday the first floor

of City Hall could be closed for up to two weeks while officials draw up

a cleanup plan, seek approval from air-quality officials and remove the

asbestos.

Although the process for decontamination is underway, city officials

said residents may still find needed services at City Hall.

Barnard said employees have been relocated to various civic center

areas, with a representative from the public information office on hand

to give directions.

“It’s certainly a workout for us,” said Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff,

adding that closing the first floor cut off access to the building’s

elevators, forcing employees to use the stairs. “You can get on the

elevators at the second floor, but the stairs are good for me.”

City officials added they are working to open first-floor elevator

access as soon as possible.