NEWS

State and federal agencies partner with town to discuss soil sampling

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management (DEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the Town of Davidson, will co-host a digital public information meeting on July 30, 2020 to discuss the expanded, free soil sampling for asbestos in the residential area within one-quarter mile of the former Carolina Asbestos Corporation site in Davidson.

This meeting will explain and answer questions from residents who live within the one-quarter mile area and who have requested sampling of their properties. It will also include a brief history of past events under the Environmental Protection Agency purview plus current sampling efforts.

The digital format meeting will be via Zoom on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.  Those interested in participating must register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/DavidsonAsbestosUpdate.  The digital meeting will also be live-streamed via the Town of Davidson’ YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/TownofDavidson-YouTubeChannel.

Asbestos is the name given to a naturally occurring group of minerals composed of tiny fibers that can be inhaled into the lungs, where they tend to stay because of their shape. Inhaled asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and other lung diseases that may not appear until many years after exposure.

From the 1930s until the 1960s, Carolina Asbestos Company operated at 301 Depot Street. It was reported that asbestos-containing material was removed from the manufacturing location and used as fill at nearby neighboring properties. Following inspections by the EPA, soil samples were taken between November 1, 2016, and May 16, 2017. At properties that met federal site-specific criteria and tested above the EPA’s health-based exposure limit, the EPA removed the top one-to-two feet of asbestos-contaminated soil, marked the end of excavation and installed clean fill and sod. Long-term, continued management of the asbestos issues will be needed. State, local and federal agencies will work with the community to monitor activities and provide information.

In response to community concerns expressed in January of 2020, the sampling currently being conducted covers properties that were not tested in 2017 and may cover a larger area than the initial sampling and cleanup efforts between 2016 and 2017. Both DEQ and EPA tested residential properties in 2017 for asbestos and removed asbestos-containing material from some of those properties.

For more information, go to: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/waste-management/superfund-section/inactive-hazardous-sites-program/carolina.