Concern about asbestos site demolition

The fire-damaged former TBA asbestos factory

With the news that part of the Turner Brothers Asbestos (TBA) site is to be demolished, Save Spodden Valley (SSV) has given a guarded welcome to a "careful demolition of part of the TBA site" but says there is concern about the lack of official communication on the technical issues.

Two key examples:

• The documents seen related to asbestos containing materials within the buildings – there is no specific mention of the risk of accumulated asbestos fibre release resulting from decades of dusty production. This fine dust could be released from wall and roof voids during demolition. 
  
  A spokesman for SSV said: "I'm sorry to say that this is an issue that Rochdale Council has failed to address."
• For nine years SSV has been asking for outdoor air monitoring to record any potential environmental asbestos fibre releases. 
  
  The spokesman said: "Whilst Rochdale Council makes mention of air monitoring it fails to point out this is just the standard type of indoor monitoring that is a basic legal requirement."

The spokesman added: "We await sight of all relevant documents when they become available."

http://rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/81989/part-of-former-asbestos-site-to-be-demolished