Asbestos Discovered at War Memorial

According to a recent news article from The Garden Island, inspectors have discovered a large amount of asbestos at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall.   Hawaii is very important in terms of America’s involvement in the Second World War.  This of course was the site of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which caused the United States to enter the war in the Pacific Theater of Operations. As a result, there are many war monuments and museums on the Hawaiian Islands.

One of these war memorials is located in Kauai and there is a large convection hall attached to the monument as well, which is frequented by both locals and businesses that host events on the property.  According to reports, one of the caretakers of the facility first became concerned that there was asbestos in the flooring tiles and that its presence could be dangerous to those who frequent the building.It should be noted that having asbestos in flooring tiles is very common in older buildings.  In Boston, for example, there are many buildings that contain asbestos in the flooring, ceiling, roofing, walls, and just about every other part of the building.  However, as our Boston mesothelioma injury attorneys can explain, this is generally considered safe, as the asbestos is contained in the construction materials.  However, once the building is renovated, demolished, or begins to crumble on its own, it can become very dangerous to anyone around.

One man who had been working as custodian of the building for nearly two decades said he first became concerned about the possibility of asbestos as many of the visitors to the building told him the condition of the flooring might be a problem.  However, he said that he was not all that worried because he assumed that if there was any risk of being contaminated by the deadly asbestos fibers, the local department of health would have told him.

It was ultimately the local department of the health that made a determination there was a concern of asbestos exposure in the entranceway to the conference hall because the flooring tiles, which contained friable asbestos, were in a state of disrepair.

However, it was the custodian that alerted the health department, because he started to take pictures of the broken tiles and collected some of the pieces and sent them to the state materials testing lab for analysis. It is important to note that if asbestos is suspected, only an experienced and licensed asbestos inspector should collect samples.  When the samples are later sent to a materials testing lab, they will use powerful microscopes to see the fibers and make a positive identification.  Even if it is suspected that the material contains deadly asbestos fibers, the health department in Boston, for example, always requires that a sample be taken and sent to lab for positive asbestos identification.  They do not want anyone guessing, even if that guess is erring the side of caution and assuming the material is asbestos.

If you or a loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma in Boston, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.

Additional Resources:

Asbestos found at War Memorial, February 2, 2017, The Garden Island

More Blog Entries:

New Effort to Strengthen Asbestos Litigation, June 28, 2016, Boston Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog