Debris From a South Carolina Fire Reveals Asbestos, Neighbors Concerned Over Potential Health Threat

Georgetown, South Carolina - Residents of Georgetown, South Carolina have growing concerns over a potential health threat when wreckage from a fire was relocated to a city-owned lot from a building known to contain the deadly material asbestos. Prior to the fire, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Control tested materials from the aging Front Street building and found asbestos.

That discovery is upsetting neighbors of the city-lot where the fire debris was moved. In the study of the Front Street property conducted by the Department of Environmental Control, asbestos was found in considerable amounts in the roofing felt and tile. Asbestos in the roofing felt “exceeded the one percent threshold,” said Tee Miller, Economic Development Director for Georgetown.

After the Department of Environmental Control conducted the survey at the property, some of the owners were not informed of the presence of asbestos. As late as last week, the Department of Environmental Control let the owners know of the asbestos discovery.

When the fire debris was moved away from the Front Street property, and remained, untested, much to the growing worry of area residents. Exposure to asbestos, a known carcinogen, can cause both immediate and long-term health issues, including cancer. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that typically affects the delicate lining encasing the lungs, heart or stomach, is only caused by exposure to asbestos particles.

Although there are regulations that deem some levels of asbestos “safe,” exposure to asbestos, regardless of how little the air is contaminated, can lead to health issues. Especially after materials and products that contain asbestos are damaged – such as it is the case with the Front Street fire – miniscule asbestos fibers contaminate the air, leading to exposure.

According to Jack Scoville, Mayor of Georgetown, the debris from the Front Street fire does not pose any health threat to residents, and that asbestos will continue to be a common discovery in the city, especially in older buildings. Used in building materials and supplies in the better part of the twentieth century, asbestos has since been banned.