Old Main Power Plant That Heats U of M Must Be Remediated of Asbestos, Toxic Materials Before Necessary Renovations

Minneapolis, Minnesota - Old Main Power Plant has provided heat and power to the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota for decades. Now, the hundred year old power plant will undergo $96 million in necessary updates and renovations. Before any work is done on the Old Main Power Plant, toxic materials – including asbestos, lead and metals – must be completely remediated or removed from the site.

Ceasing operations as a power plant in 2000, the Old Main Power Plant has housed some University of Minnesota offices, but faculty have since abandoned the site due to the impending renovation.

Though University officials have known that the Old Main Power Plant has contained toxic materials, the concern over exposure and subsequent health problems stemming from exposure is minimal, but officials have said that faculty housed in the power plant had to “take precautions” regarding the asbestos. Matt Stringfellow, Senior Project Manager, also acknowledged that the offices in the power plant “wasn't the best situation.”

Of all of the toxic materials in the Old Main Power Plant, asbestos poses the most significant health threat. Classified as a carcinogen akin to cigarettes, exposure to asbestos can lead to several lethal forms of cancer including lung cancer and mesothelioma cancer.

When left undisturbed and whole, asbestos and asbestos-containing products are not especially toxic. But, as buildings and their infrastructure ages, the possibility of decaying asbestos products increases exponentially. Essentially, asbestos is a silent killer: until asbestos is identified and its state, it is difficult to determine if there is a risk of exposure. If asbestos is disturbed, the particles it generates are microscopic and easily inhaled, and only through air quality tests can determine the level of contamination.

Just like many other colleges of similar age, several buildings on the University's campus contain asbestos and other toxic materials, and as the needs of different buildings change, toxic materials have been removed.

Originally, the renovation of the Old Main Power Plant was set to be completed by January 2016, but has since been pushed back.