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CBS 2 TOP STORIES VIDEO
Asbestos in our neighborhoods, how safe is it? City contractors are tearing down flooded homes throughout Cedar Rapids, but first they have to tear out any asbestos inside and the process has some neighbors worried about the air they breathe.
On a warm spring day it's hard to keep three kids inside. But that's what Kathy Lafler had to do Wednesday.
She says, "Felt like we shouldn't come outside."
Because of what was going on next door, where city contractors are tearing asbestos siding off a flooded out home.
"They put suits on and they had on masks, respirator masks and they were covered from head-to-toe," says Lafler.
That made her nervous about what her grandkids might be breathing in.
"The image of them all covered up and then we're standing out in our yard with no masks and stuff on. No it doesn't make sense."
"Roughly 25% of transite siding is asbestos," says city contractor Jeff Reinhard, a Field Operations Manager for Family Environmental.
He says, "There's no safety risk at all."
And adds they only wear protective gear because of federal worker safety requirements.
"Like this piece here was broken off, you can actually see the fibers,” says Reinhard. “But this is a non-friable material, which means that it can't be easily pulverized by hand pressure. So when you're pulling it off, the asbestos stays inside the transite. It's not becoming airborne, so you're not at risk of breathing it."
Still, supervisors like Reinhard monitor the air workers are breathing all day and he says the tests are clean.
"If those air monitoring results are coming back clean for the worker, right in front of the transite siding, who's actually removing it, then it's going to be exceptionally clean for the kid next door," says Reinhard.
Lafler wishes the city could communicate that more clearly, to save her family one extra worry.
She says, "It's just another thing to deal with in getting back from the flood."
For now she's just happy to let the kids back out.
Lafler says her daughter tried calling the city Wednesday to find out whether the asbestos removal was safe, but she says no one could tell her and that's what was frustrating.
Contractors say a good way to think of it is if you see someone spray painting their car, they'll usually have a mask on over their mouth and nose, but someone watching next door isn't going to feel any negative impact. They say it's the same thing here.
City contractors say there are 600 homes in Cedar Rapids that need asbestos torn out. So far, they've got 180 knocked out and expect to have the work finished by late September.
On a warm spring day it's hard to keep three kids inside. But that's what Kathy Lafler had to do Wednesday.
She says, "Felt like we shouldn't come outside."
Because of what was going on next door, where city contractors are tearing asbestos siding off a flooded out home.
"They put suits on and they had on masks, respirator masks and they were covered from head-to-toe," says Lafler.
That made her nervous about what her grandkids might be breathing in.
"The image of them all covered up and then we're standing out in our yard with no masks and stuff on. No it doesn't make sense."
"Roughly 25% of transite siding is asbestos," says city contractor Jeff Reinhard, a Field Operations Manager for Family Environmental.
He says, "There's no safety risk at all."
And adds they only wear protective gear because of federal worker safety requirements.
"Like this piece here was broken off, you can actually see the fibers,” says Reinhard. “But this is a non-friable material, which means that it can't be easily pulverized by hand pressure. So when you're pulling it off, the asbestos stays inside the transite. It's not becoming airborne, so you're not at risk of breathing it."
Still, supervisors like Reinhard monitor the air workers are breathing all day and he says the tests are clean.
"If those air monitoring results are coming back clean for the worker, right in front of the transite siding, who's actually removing it, then it's going to be exceptionally clean for the kid next door," says Reinhard.
Lafler wishes the city could communicate that more clearly, to save her family one extra worry.
She says, "It's just another thing to deal with in getting back from the flood."
For now she's just happy to let the kids back out.
Lafler says her daughter tried calling the city Wednesday to find out whether the asbestos removal was safe, but she says no one could tell her and that's what was frustrating.
Contractors say a good way to think of it is if you see someone spray painting their car, they'll usually have a mask on over their mouth and nose, but someone watching next door isn't going to feel any negative impact. They say it's the same thing here.
City contractors say there are 600 homes in Cedar Rapids that need asbestos torn out. So far, they've got 180 knocked out and expect to have the work finished by late September.
CBS 2 LOCAL NEWS
Ex-Iowa mayor pleads guilty to drunken boating
September 02, 2010 10:15 EDT
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Former Mason City Mayor Roger Bang has pleaded guilty to a charge of operating a boat while intoxicated.
Bang was arrested by an Iowa Department of Natural Resources officer on July 27 on Clear Lake.
The Globe Gazette says Bang entered a written plea of guilty on Wednesday in Cerro Gordo County District Court. Bang was to be arraigned on the charge next week, but that hearing was canceled.
A sentencing date was not immediately set.
The charge is a serious misdemeanor punishable to a fine and up to a year in jail.
Bang served on the Mason City Council for 16 years and was mayor from 2006 through 2009, when he decided not to run again.
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Information from: Globe Gazette, http://www.globegazette.com/
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