The EPA is submitting a draft Quality Assurance Project Plan for
external review of its Alternative Asbestos Control Method
demonstration project.
An alternative method for removing asbestos from older buildings
during demolition will be evaluated and compared to removal
techniques previously authorized by National Emissions Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).
If successful, the newer method could allow the safe demolition of
many abandoned buildings around the nation that present serious
risks to nearby residents. Using the Alternative Asbestos Control
Method, these former contaminated areas would then be available for
redevelopment, creating jobs
and tax revenues for communities.
The newer method will be tested in spring 2006 at a remote location
at Fort Chaffee, AR, chosen to assure no public exposure.
Buildings on the east side have a clearance of approximately 1,000
feet from the nearest occupied site, and far greater in all other
directions.
The demonstration will include extensive environmental monitoring,
that allows for a representative of the city, state health
department, or EPA to stop work if conditions so merit.The
Alternative Asbestos Control Method first removes the most friable
(easily crushed to a powder) asbestos containing materials before
demolition, but leaves some asbestos containing materials
(primarily wall systems) in place.
Then the demolition proceeds using water containing agents similar
to detergents to increase the water’s ability to penetrate dust
layers and surfaces, trap asbestos fibers and minimize their
potential release to air.
The project is a joint effort of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment
Authority, the Arkansas Dept. of Environmental Quality, the U.S.
Dept. of Energy, and EPA. Additional information on the research
project is available at
www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/asbestos.htm.
Fort Chaffee has been identified as the site for the testing of the
Alternative Asbestos Control Method, which if successful may serve
as an alternative to the current NESHAP for demolition of buildings
containing asbestos. The site is in a remote, secure location, to
assure no public exposure, and has several identical structures with
asbestos-containing building materials to facilitate a side-by-side
comparison of the Alternative Asbestos Control Demolition method vs.
the current NESHAP method.
The buildings have a clearance of approximately 1,000 feet from the
nearest occupied site on the eastern side, and far greater than that
in all other directions.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to perform a controlled
demonstration to evaluate the equivalency of the Alternative
Asbestos Control Method to the NESHAP method. This alternative
method, if successful, would likely accelerate the demolition of
many abandoned buildings around the nation that remain standing,
currently presenting a variety of serious risks to nearby residents.
Briefly described, the Alternative Asbestos Control Method removes
the most friable asbestos-containing materials before demolition,
but leaves some asbestos containing materials (primarily wall
systems) in place. The most friable asbestos -containing materials
are removed under the requirements of the Asbestos NESHAP and are
disposed of properly as asbestos containing wastes.
Once the most friable asbestos-containing materials are safely
removed, the demolition proceeds using amended water suppression
before, during, and after demolition, in order to trap asbestos
fibers and minimize their potential release to the air. Wastewater
generated during the demolition
is collected, and all contaminated materials are properly disposed
as asbestos-containing waste. A two-inch layer of soil is removed to
ensure that no residual soil contamination remains at the site.
The demonstration will include extensive environmental monitoring,
and will allow for a representative of the City, State Health
Department, or EPA to stop work if conditions so merit.
A technical team of EPA scientists and engineers is being assembled
to peer review and further refine the demonstration protocol. A
site-specific Quality Assurance Project Plan will be developed.
EPA’s Office of Research and Development in conjunction with Region
6 will oversee the study. The Office of Science Policy of the
Office of Research and Development will independently conduct an
external peer review of the Quality Assurance Project Plan and will
obtain peer review and public comment on the final report, in
accordance with the Agency’s Peer Review Policy.
The project will be carried out as a joint effort of the Fort
Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality, the US Department of Energy, and EPA. Public
involvement is an important component for project success;
therefore, communication with stakeholders is a prominent part of
the project plan as well. Public involvement of local
residents will be solicited at various stages throughout the
project, and will be an integral
part of the project plan. FSM
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