Asbestos Closes Montana Courthouse

November 15, 2006 - A father and son team performing renovations in a courthouse office earlier this week in Gallatin County, Montana discovered asbestos, prompting immediate closure of the building.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that the courthouse, which is home to a number of county offices, will remain closed until further tests are performed and air quality is deemed safe.

"We think the likelihood that there is a serious air problem here is minimal," County Chief Administrative Officer Earl Mathers said.

The newspaper reports that Ray Toledo of Toledo and Sons Construction was replacing carpet with his son when he spied what appeared to be asbestos under some floor tiles which were underneath the carpet.  Both the carpet and floor tiles were due to be removed, prompting concern about the release of asbestos fibers from damaged materials.

The construction team believes that the asbestos was exposed for about 2 hours and noted that they experienced scratchy throats and runny noses when in the same room with the material.

Had they known, the two would not have taken the job because they are not equipped to deal with asbestos, Toledo told the Daily Chronicle.  "They should have, in my opinion, dealt with that before we came in," he said.

Mathers claims, however, that the Toledos were informed as to the presence of asbestos before they began their work.