Asbestos Problems Force Base Hospital Cutbacks
The military hospital at Edwards Air Force Base has an extensive asbestos problem and will have to curtail its services during December and January for a $1-million project to remove the cancer-causing material, Air Force officials said Thursday.
Lt. Col. Kenneth Whitaker, the hospital’s administrator, said the asbestos found in the 60,000-square-foot building is vulnerable to crumbling and becoming airborne, thus creating a hazard. But air sampling thus far has detected only “negligible amounts” of asbestos below safety standards, he said.
To accommodate the work, portions of the hospital will be shut down in phases and activities relocated if possible.
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