Asbestos removed from city garage

AURORA – Asbestos was discovered unexpectedly in the city’s central garage, removal of which cost the city around $22,000, city officials said.

The cancer-causing substance was discovered last month when city employees were removing tiles from the lunch and locker room areas of the garage, on Broadway north of Illinois Avenue.

City spokesman Dan Ferrelli said the tiles were too old, and employees raised concern that they may contain asbestos. Before the 1980s, asbestos, a known carcinogen, was a very popular construction material due to many of its excellent properties. It was mainly used in floor tiles, ceilings and insulation materials. Use of the material has been recently restricted, although it has not been totally banned still.

Ferrelli said the city engaged Midwest Environmental Consulting Services of Yorkville to find out if asbestos was present in the tiles. According to Ferrelli, low levels of asbestos were found and the area was sealed off at once.

Champion Environmental Services of Gilberts won the bid for cleanup job. Ferrelli said the lunch and locker rooms were sealed off for a week and the tests followed discovered no hazards either at the time of the initial job by the city workers or after the job was finished.

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