NEWS

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and Town of Davidson, will co-host an online public information meeting on January 27 to discuss asbestos-contaminated soil removal activities following recent expanded soil sampling for asbestos within one-quarter mile of the former Carolina Asbestos Corporation site in Davidson.

At this meeting, local, state and federal environmental staff will provide details on the asbestos-contaminated soil removal activities following sampling efforts at residential and public properties near the former Carolina Asbestos Corporation site in Davidson. There will be a question-and-answer session following the presentation.

What:   Information meeting to discuss asbestos-contaminated soil removal activities near the former Carolina Asbestos Corporation in Davidson

When:   Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.

 Where:  Meeting by Zoom – https://tinyurl.com/DavidsonAsbestosUpdate-012021.

People will need to use this link to register, watch or ask questions about the content of the meeting. Dial in option – (301) 715-8592; Webinar ID: 817 4615 5092; Google number to text questions: 704-266-2489.

The online meeting will also be live-streamed via the Town of Davidson’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/TownofDavidson-YouTubeChannel.

Both DEQ and EPA tested residential properties in 2017 for asbestos and removed asbestos-containing material from some of those properties. In response to community concerns expressed in January of 2020, sampling was conducted that covered properties that were not tested in 2017.

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. Various sampling events were conducted between May and December 2020. Long-term, continued management of the asbestos issues will be needed. State, local and federal agencies will work with the community to monitor digging activities and provide information.

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.

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