The Denver Federal Center site in Denver, Colorado contains the state’s only nuclear reactor. In addition, the groundwater is polluted, and the soil is known to contain arsenic, uranium, beryllium, and cancer-causing asbestos. Despite the wide range of contaminants at the site, officials plan to open the site to the public, a decision that has outraged many Denver residents.

Under the current plan, the site would be redeveloped and would become home to a new hospital, railroad station, businesses, and even residential homes. But Adrienne Anderson is going to do everything in her power to stop that from happening. Anderson is an environmental hazards researcher, and has done extensive detective work to uncover the dirty history of the site.

"This area was a former toxic waste site," Anderson told reporters. Anderson fears that the workers on the site and even the general public could be in peril. "As all this material is being dug up, moved around, in some cases going into the air, there’s rightful concern as to whether there is a risk of exposure to the surrounding community," she said.

According to public records, a nuclear reactor was built on the site in the 1960s, and waste from the site was buried there. Prior to that, the site was home to an ammunition plant in the 1940s, which contained asbestos. The asbestos was buried on the site when the buildings were demolished and then buried. Asbestos can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other health problems. Despite the myriad contaminants present at the site, Anderson says that her research has not uncovered any evidence that shows that the property was ever cleaned up. "The extent of clean up on that site has been zero. If you look at treating these wastes, it has not occurred."

But David Walker of the Colorado Department of Health thinks Anderson is wrong. "The Health Department does not believe there is any unacceptable risk to the public, to the workers at the Denver Federal Center property, or the people who are conducting the remediation work at the site," said Walker.

In New Albany, Indiana, an initial environmental study conducted on a local car dealership has indicated that the property is contaminated. It is believed that the Coyle dealership has underground fuel tanks, potential contaminants, and even deadly asbestos on the property.

Asbestos was once used in automotive brake pads, fireproofing, and other materials. Exposure to asbestos, even in small amounts, may cause mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.

The New Albany Redevelopment Commission has reviewed the study, and commissioned further investigation into the matter by Specialty Earth Sciences LLC, which will conduct a more extensive environmental survey. The initial study was commissioned by New Albany and Floyd County officials. The Coyle dealership may be purchased by local officials and transformed into a new government complex, but the county’s decision to purchase the land will be influenced by the outcome of the environmental studies.

New Albany Deputy Mayor Carl Malysz announced last week that the initial study had shown at least six underground fuel tanks were present at the site. In addition, contractors believe that the site likely contains both lead paint and asbestos. Both asbestos and lead paint would need to be cleaned up before the county could redevelop the property to build the new complex. The next round of environmental screenings will involve taking soil samples.

Kevin Zurschmeide was recently appointed to the commission studying the pros and cons of purchasing the property. He questions the wisdom of paying for environmental studies on the piece of property. "Why pay for studies when we don’t own the property?" Zurschmeide asked.

Fellow commission member Edward Hancock disagrees, and does not find it unusual that the city and county are financing the tests. "It’s not uncommon for us to get in to this," he said.

Robbinsdale Middle School in Robbinsdale, Minnesota has secured a $600,000 grant that will be used to clean up a landfill on the school grounds. The landfill was discovered after the school was built in the 1950s. Underneath the ground surrounding the school, the underground landfill pit contains hazardous materials and refuse, including tires, paint cans, and oil containers. In addition, some believe that asbestos-containing materials could also be present at the site.

Asbestos can be deadly, and is linked to the development of life-threatening illnesses like lung cancer, COPD, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. If asbestos is uncovered during the cleanup, special precautions will have to be taken to ensure the fibers do not become airborne.

The dump was discovered only recently. Back in 2004, workers who were maintaining the school’s athletic fields stumbled across the landfill. This sparked a variety of expensive tests and cleanup efforts. Now, thanks to a grant from Hennepin County, the school district can finally afford to clean up the entire site. Workers will dig four feet into the ground across a 18,000 square foot area.

"Four feet of soil is quite an amount of cubic feet of soil," said Robbinsdale district spokesman Jeff Dehler. "So there will be a significant amount of work that happens…We will remove the soil from the current surface area, have it safely removed, and put it in some kind of contaminated-soil space, wherever the state reserves space for that kind of stuff…It’s just like dozens and dozens of sites all over the place," he said. "There was not care taken years ago to appropriately dispose of some waste that could contaminate soil or groundwater."

The project will begin next June.

The historic Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania will soon be torn down, unless the school can find a buyer. Starting on Monday, a five-week asbestos abatement project will commence. The abatement is the initial step in the demolition of the historic building, which was built in 1915. Asbestos can be dangerous if it becomes airborne.

If inhaled, asbestos may cause lung cancer or mesothelioma. Because the school will be demolished and not renovated, the teams conducting the asbestos abatement will not work with any regard to preserving the interior of the school. "They will go in there and literally attack it," Superintendent Joseph Lewis said.

The Bethlehem Area School District will tear down the school in order to make way for sports fields. But many locals are up in arms about the plan to demolish the school. Critics of the plan argue that not only will the district be destroying a historic building, but the athletic fields that will be installed at the site will be useless, as they are not regulation size.

"You are exposing yourself to a lot of risk for no good reason," Bethlehem resident Bill Scheirer told the board. Superintendent Lewis assured residents that the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association had promised that the fields would be allowed to host games.

The total cost of the project, including asbestos abatement, demolition and field construction, will cost $3.6 million. In contrast, restoration of the building would cost $13 million. The school may offer the property to nearby Lehigh University in an effort to save the historic building. District Solicitor Don Spry thinks that the school does not have much hope for salvation, saying, "It is going to be costly both by litigation by the contractors and the commonwealth."

In Binghamton, New York, work is progressing on a renovation project at a local building. The work at the George Harvey Justice Building in Binghamton is reported to be moving along right on schedule. The building is planned to reopen this September, barring any unforeseen complications.

One complication that was planned for had to do with the presence of a potentially dangerous material. Asbestos was known to be present in the building, and had to be dealt with prior to renovations. Asbestos removal can be very costly, due to the extreme precautions that must be taken to keep airborne asbestos particles from traveling elsewhere in the building, or into the air outside the building. Airborne asbestos particles can sicken individuals who are unfortunate enough to breathe them in. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers become permanently embedded in the lungs and other soft tissues of the body, and are impossible to remove.

Asbestos is linked to a whole host of respiratory diseases. These include asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, has no cure. Treatment options include Alimta®, a chemotherapy drug, radiation therapies, and surgeries. The cancer is rare, but aggressive.

In addition to removing asbestos, workers also removed jail cells from the Harvey building. The District Attorney’s office, the Public Defender and the Probation Department offices will be moving to new spaces downtown, but will return to the Harvey building at a future date.

In the city of Summit, New Jersey, the public schools are undergoing various projects this summer, including the removal of dangerous asbestos. Asbestos, once commonly used in insulation, floor tiles, adhesives, and some cements, is now known to sometimes cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other respiratory conditions. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, can manifest in the lungs, heart, and/or abdomen. Although it has a long latency period, once the initial symptoms develop, mesothelioma patients may only have a few months to live.

All told, the district will spend $15 million on various construction projects this summer. Mechanical work at Summit’s Washington and Franklin schools will include removal of vents, pipes, boilers, and toxic asbestos. At the Lincoln-Hubbard School a roof replacement is underway. The roof project began on June 26, and has been reported to be “going well”. Bids for other projects at the school are being accepted, and include fire alarm work and replacement of the fire doors.

Asbestos removal is often very costly, but is required prior to many repair and renovation projects. This is because tearing down walls can expose asbestos particles, forcing them to become airborne. These airborne particles can be inhaled, and become permanently lodged in the lining of the lungs.

Asbestos removal is complicated, because it is important to seal off areas that are being abated in order to prevent asbestos from traveling elsewhere in the building. Special equipment is required for workers removing asbestos, and asbestos should always be disposed of in accordance with local and federal laws.