Florida Neighborhood Fears Asbestos Contamination

August 16, 2006 - The residents of a Brooksville, Florida neighborhood are protesting the planned demolition of the Hernando County public works site, fearing that the destruction of the building will spread contaminants, particularly asbestos and other toxic materials such as benzene and arsenic, and sicken nearby residents.

The St. Petersburg Times reports that this is the latest chapter in an increasingly tense tug of war between county officials and activists who have long criticized the county's failure to clean the site. 

Neighbors in the Mitchell Heights area say they’ve not been kept abreast of the goings-on at the site, including the removal of a large number of asbestos floor tiles from one of the complex’s abandoned buildings.  Most worry that there’s still more asbestos inside and that damage to the materials caused by demolition may result in airborne fibers, thus creating health risks for those who live nearby. The county maintains, however, that all asbestos has been successfully removed. 

The county also stored gasoline, diesel fuel, pesticides, paint and solvents in tanks and drums. Through leaks and spills, many of those chemicals contaminated the dirt and groundwater with carcinogens like benzene and arsenic.

Hernando County received a warning in 1991, but 3 clean-ups still resulted in continued contamination problems.  As recently as last year, a consultant found contamination at many sites that were thought to be clean.

Richard Howell, president of the Mitchell Heights Health Awareness and Restoration Board, says he believes the county is removing “evidence” without telling those who live in the mostly-black neighborhood that borders the complex.

Howell believes there’s still plenty of asbestos inside the buildings and that the county is tearing them down to hide it, despite the fact that reports say the buildings are clean.