VENTURA : Workers Moved Due to Asbestos Threat

A county drug counseling program has been temporarily moved from its leased Ventura quarters after officials learned that rain damage may have loosened harmful asbestos fibers inside the building.

Asbestos was widely used in construction materials until the 1980s, when it was banned because of its potential for causing various lung diseases.

The 32 employees of the county’s Alcohol and Drug Department will work for the time being at a county-owned facility at 4651 Telephone Road, Ventura, department director Stephen Kaplan said. About 500 clients who receive drug and alcohol counseling will also be referred to the temporary office, Kaplan said.

A consulting firm Tuesday removed air and material samples from the privately owned, two-story building at 739 E. Main St., said Allen Danzig, who is in charge of enforcement for the Air Pollution Control District.

Test results could be available as early as today, Danzig said.

Marvin Jacobs, owner of the building, had hired unlicensed contractors to remove debris from the damaged ceiling, according to Danzig. But federal and state laws require licensed specialists to remove any material containing asbestos, he said.

A client in an alcohol counseling program reported the possible violation last week to the health department, which sent two inspectors wearing protective suits into the building, Danzig said.

The county’s risk manager, Robi Klein, said he ordered the county employees to relocate to another building to reduce possible exposure to asbestos.

If tests confirm the presence of asbestos, the owner is responsible for the cleanup and removal, he added.