p>York County, South Carolina officials discovered asbestos debris aside a county roadway project in November. The hazardous debris was found buried in the right of way of the Fort Mill Southern Bypass, reports the Herald Online.
The project, named “Pennies for Progress,” will pass by the county’s new Banks Trail Middle School. The school is slated to open for the 2011-2012 school year.
In order to remove the toxic material from the project area, county officials approved $570,000 for the cleanup. The county is responsible for the cleanup, because it owns the right of way, and dug up the asbestos.
Asbestos is a highly hazardous material, known to pose a serious health risk to those exposed. In order to keep York community residents safe, the material must be removed. Exposure to asbestos has been known to cause several diseases, including mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an aggressive disease, which forms from the mesothelium.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for the disease. And because of this, treatment is palliative. Such treatment, however, tends to arrive in the later stages of their disease. For even the best mesothelioma doctors struggle to diagnose patients with mesothelioma in the earliest stages of the disease as mesothelioma has a latency period of up to fifty years. Following diagnosis patients generally undergo chemo, radiation or endure mesothelioma surgery.
The asbestos abatement work will being Monday, July 26. HEPACO Inc., of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been awarded with the job. The work will take six weeks to complete.
An additional $267,000 has been approved by the County Council in order to determine if additional asbestos debris is buried alongside the future roadway. If more debris is found, the county will seek reimbursement from the former property owners.