North Carolina Community Concerned About Former Asbestos Mill

North Carolina Community Concerned About Former Asbestos Mill -

Residents of Davidson, North Carolina are faced with a difficult decision as Community Raleigh developer approach of Westside with the hope of build a commercial and residential development on the former Metrolina Warehouse LLC. Concerns have been raised that the site was once the Cotton Mill Linden and before that he was a grinder to asbestos.

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Greenhawk, developers Raleigh, opened with the community through several neighborhood meetings. Most residents have expressed concerns about asbestos, which is still buried under part of the site from its former use as a mill to asbestos. It was noted that the previous owner of the site encapsulated asbestos according to federal environmental standards and has been certified as safe. Yet many residents tell stories of illness and death of family and friends what they thought of exposure to asbestos.

Many residents rallied together and distributed leaflets about the dangers of asbestos exposure of the proposed development should Greenhawk decide to remove the asbestos present on the site. This brochure notes, "Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious diseases of the lungs and other organs that may not appear until years after the exposure occurs." This fact is very true, as exposure to airborne asbestos is known to cause mesothelioma, or asbestos cancer that can remain dormant for many years and in many cases is terminal.

Greenhawk was very sensitive to community concerns and appealed to many environmental experts to talk with residents about the issue of asbestos. Greenhawk is currently working towards the elimination of asbestos materials by asbestos removal company licensed and under the watchful eye of the EPA. Residents, however, are shared. Some residents expressed their desire to simply leave the asbestos where it is - buried - where he can not get into the air and doing more damage. However, there is no guarantee that the development on the site would not compromise the integrity of the existing encapsulation.

The people of the city and the Greenhawk plan to organize several neighborhood meetings on the issue before action for development are taken. Although they have not been contacted for previous meetings, city officials have been notified and plan to be part of further discussions.