Santa Ana : Wrecker Must Dispose of Rubble With Asbestos

An Anaheim contractor has been ordered to find a way to safely remove and dispose of asbestos-containing material at a demolition site in Santa Ana, where asbestos fibers were released into the air during three days last month.

The Orange County Health Care Agency on Monday accepted the C.W. Poss Co.’s plan for removing contaminated rubble already collected from three vacant buildings. But before further demolition work on the buildings can take place, a plan to protect contractor employees must be approved. The plan is expected to be submitted by Friday, said Robert E. Merryman, director of environmental health.

Destruction of the 27-year-old buildings at No. 2 Fashion Square on Main Street, owned by Santa Ana Venture, should resume next week, Merryman said.

He said any person who walked past the site June 15-17 could have been exposed to an unknown amount of airborne asbestos, but “the response was quick enough that I don’t think it’s a significant health hazard.”

The South Coast Air Quality Management District got involved when a citizen complained June 17 of possible asbestos inhalation. Lab tests on June 19 confirmed that ceiling samples contained asbestos, Merryman said.

Rubble already torn from the ceilings qualifies as hazardous waste, Merryman said, and is being watered every day so the fibers won’t become airborne.