Asbestos Regulations at Center of New York's Housing Surplus Problem

Excess housing is a problem in New York, and local officials are attributing part of the issue to the state's asbestos regulations. Regulations and proportionally-high costs are slowing down the demolition process for countless vacant properties that need to be destroyed, according to some. Jamestown, New York, is one of the cities feeling these effects of the regulations. The city suffered from drastic population decrease, leaving asbestos-contaminated houses that were once needed, now unfilled and in need of demolition. State regulations have been set on asbestos and the handling of the toxic substance because exposure to asbestos causes multiple diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural plaques. Many of these diseases won't manifest in the human body until decades after initial exposure. On Wednesday, one house among a long list of other properties was demolished. City development director Steve Centi explains the burden as one that stems from houses built during a time when asbestos use was widespread and the population warranted the properties. Now, both of these factors are not the case. "We have issues relating to older housing stock which was built in a point in time when the population was larger," said Centi. "The population has since declined, so we have a surplus of units." According to Centi, this population reduction can be found throughout the state, posing a demolition issue for all local officials in the state aiming to eliminate asbesto...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos Exposure & Bans Source Type: news