Mount Airy will once again be discussing asbestos and asbestos removal in their upcoming meeting with the Board of Commissioners tonight. The Mount Airy board has a difficult subject to discuss, the issue of the building that was found to contain asbestos that was purchased by the government recently. They need to decide on a course of action on what to do with the dangerous building. They have already discussed the matter in a previous meeting, so hopefully they will be able to come to a conclusion in this upcoming one.

    The property is called the Spencer’s industrial property, and after a survey was performed on the property, it was found that the dangerous cancer-causing mineral asbestos was found in the property.

    Many buildings built before the 1980’s contain asbestos in them. This is due to the fact that asbestos is a very useful building agent, it is perfect for insulation and is flame-retardant. The asbestos mineral is also relatively cheap to manufacture and is easily handled. This led to it being heavily used in the construction of buildings and in other industries as well. However, it was later found that the asbestos mineral causes cancer and disease when you come into contact with it. Through inhalation or even just breathing the mineral in, the asbestos fibers can react with your cells and cause disease and cancer.

    The price of abating the Spencer property will most likely come to around 35,000 dollars. This is a small price to pay, however, for a clean and safe building. The board will further discuss the asbestos abatement soon.