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CHEYENNE - A plan for testing whether an asbestos containing lot is releasing the carcinogenic fibres into the air has been released by the state and federal regulators.
However, some neighbors are concerned about the plan and suggest that the lot should not be monitored but has to be cleaned up.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Quality plans to install air monitors for testing. The first air monitors is supposed to be set up by the end of July.
The monitoring plan requires placing around a dozen air sampling devices around the lot's perimeter and three devices upwind to watch the amount of asbestos in the air before it gets to the lot.
"We wanted to see if we could develop a worst-case scenario for asbestos particles in the air," Tim Post, the project manager with the DEQ said.
However, some neighbors do not support the plan. Asbestos in old construction materials can blow loose and can be hazardous to health. This is the thing that neighbors are concerned about. The lot is north of Cheyenne.
"Independent contractors have recommended cleanup after looking at the site," M. Lee Hasenauer, who lives near the property on Lupe Road, said.
He added that they were totally disappointed in the way DEQ was handling the issue and that they were hoping the governor would step in. "What they're trying to do is cover it up so they don't have to spend the money to clean it up," he said.
According to the state and local officials, the form of the asbestos is unlikely to be released into the air. They also tell that asbestos fibers don't easily move through groundwater. For these reasons, it can't be a threat to the health of the people.
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