N.Y. Firefighters Take Asbestos Concerns to City

Lackawanna city firefighters are on edge after learning that they may have been exposed to elevated levels of asbestos in a firehouse that's being renovated.

A handful of firefighters showed up at Monday's City Council meeting to express concerns about asbestos abatement work being done inside Fire House 3 at 2990 South Park Ave.

The building was evacuated Saturday after lab tests on two wipe samples from the fire station revealed asbestos, a carcinogen known to cause serious respiratory problems, including mesothelioma.

Asbestos abatement work on the piping of an old boiler system had been under way since about mid-November, according to the firefighters.

Firefighters said they became concerned after noticing a significant amount of dust in the air.

The contractor "would put up an enclosure, and the enclosure would fall down," said Lt. James J. Fino. "It's a huge concern for all of our members. We've been in there up until Saturday."

Firefighters took samples of the dust to be tested by an independent lab. When the lab tests came back positive for asbestos Dec. 8, firefighters took the results to City Hall.

Mayor Norman L. Polanski Jr. said the city hired a firm to conduct hand wipe sampling from around the building. Two of the samples came back positive for asbestos, he said.

Fino said the numbers on those tests revealed "astronomical" levels of asbestos.

"We should've been out of the firehouse immediately upon knowing there were dangerous levels of asbestos present," said Thomas R. Mendez, president of Local 3166, Lackawanna Professional Firefighters Association.

The city had to get approval from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for cleanup, and the state required that the building be shut down during the work, Polanski said.

"We had no choice but to move everybody out of the fire hall," he said.

Polanski said he doesn't believe that anyone was exposed to high levels of asbestos because constant monitoring of

air quality by an independent company during the abatement process showed no problems.

"We had a separate air monitor monitoring everything the asbestos company was doing," the mayor said. "I would never put anybody in harm's way. We did everything properly here."

Cleanup of the building could continue through the Christmas holiday, Polanski said.

Meanwhile, firefighters are asking the city to provide physicals, chest X-rays and tests of pulmonary function through an occupational health group.

Patrick Construction is the general contractor on the renovation of Fire House 3, which is at least 80 years old. The asbestos removal is being done by Home Guard Environmental Services.

Council President Charles Jaworski expressed his support for the firefighters.

"This town -- we all know what asbestos does -- because half our families worked at Bethlehem Steel," he said.

Asbestos was widely used as insulation and fireproofing until the early 1970s, and hundreds of former steelworkers were exposed to the dangerous particles that years ago floated around the massive steel plant.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service