Immediate Asbestos Treatment Urged for Nine Public Buildings : Health: The cancer-causing agent was outlawed by federal law in 1979, and older structures are being tested.

State and county asbestos studies have identified 39 county-owned buildings as containing the cancer-causing agent and have recommended that nine of the facilities be treated immediately.

Robert Griego, the county’s deputy chief administrative officer, said, however, that loose asbestos fibers in the nine buildings have already been sealed. But lack of funds will delay the complete removal of the asbestos, Griego said.

“We’re not saying that this is a state of emergency,” Griego said. “The asbestos was of no concern unless it was disturbed. But conditions were worse in those buildings, and that’s why we were directed to address them as soon as possible.”

A state Department of Health Services survey of public buildings released earlier this month evaluated 22 buildings throughout the county, of which 13 were county-owned. For eight of those buildings the study stated that the “conditions probably represent some health risk” and recommended immediate action to at least encapsulate loose asbestos fibers.

During the last two years, the county has also been examining its buildings, Griego said. In addition to the 13 buildings evaluated by the state study, county inspectors have identified 26 others as “positively containing” asbestos, of which one building required prompt action.

According to Griego, the nine buildings that need immediate attention are:

* The North County Public Health Center, 2440 Grand Ave., San Diego.

* The Loma Portal Mental Health Facility, 3485 Kenyon St., San Diego.

* The Juvenile Court Building, 2851 Meadowlark Drive, San Diego.

* The downtown courthouse and adjoining jail, 220 & 222 West C St., San Diego.

* An alcohol detox center, 1123 Island Ave., San Diego.

* A garage, 1251 Union St., San Diego.

* The County Jail at Las Colinas, 9000 Cottonwood Ave., Santee.

* The Social Services Department, 620 East Valley Parkway, Escondido.

* Camp Rancho del Rayo, Building 300, 957 Forest Gate Road, Campo.

Growing concern in recent years over the dangers of asbestos has spurred governments to either remove or encapsulate loose microscopic asbestos fibers commonly found in more than 3,000 building products such as cable insulation, roof shingles and fireproofing coatings or materials. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 733,000 public and commercial buildings nationwide contain asbestos.

The cancer-causing agent was outlawed in 1979 and federal law requires removal of asbestos before a building’s renovation or demolition to prevent the release of asbestos fibers into the environment.

Although Griego said the county plans to remove the asbestos from the buildings as soon as possible, he said the encapsulated fibers pose no threat to county employees.

“We’ll deal with the buildings on a one-by-one basis when it comes time to renovate or work on them,” Griego said. “That’s the only time when asbestos becomes dangerous. The whole hazard with asbestos is when the fibers get loose and float in the air.”

In addition, Griego said, most of the asbestos found in the nine buildings was discovered in areas typically inaccessible to workers or visitors such as basements and cellars.

The county General Services Department already has spent the $350,000 allocated for asbestos removal this year, Griego said. The bulk of the funds was spent on consulting services to help inspect buildings, to train staff and to purchase special equipment. And renovations at the downtown courthouse and the Juvenile Court building also required spending money to remove asbestos from certain sections of those facilities, he said.

Griego said the county has not determined how much it will cost to remove the asbestos.

“I don’t think anybody can tell you how much this is going to cost,” Griego said. “That will depend on each building and the removal technique used to get rid of the asbestos. In some cases, I’m afraid it will become quite expensive.”

As a result, the county, as well as other local governments, are increasingly taking asbestos manufacturers to court to win damages to help defray the cost of the expensive removal process.

In September, San Diego County sued 13 building manufacturers whose asbestos-containing products were used anywhere from 15 to 30 years ago in the county courthouse and its adjoining jail. The lawsuit, authorized by the county Board of Supervisors, seeks to recover the expense of removing asbestos discovered in the county buildings. The suit targets only the asbestos found in the downtown courthouse and its adjoining jail. The city of San Diego has also filed a similar suit for asbestos found in eight buildings.

In most cases, such lawsuits allege that the asbestos manufacturers either knew or should have known of the health hazards associated with the material before selling it to prospective buyers.