Inspector visits Potsdam civic center

POTSDAM — Emotions were high at the civic center Wednesday morning, when a state inspector came to investigate claims of asbestos contamination in the building.

Village workers are rattled by the deaths of two co-workers of cancer in the past month. Even though two tests have shown that the air quality in the building is safe, people are widely concerned about health issues in the complex.

John Usher from the state Public Employee Health and Safety Bureau was asked by village officials weeks ago to come test for asbestos in the civic center. He also conducted asbestos awareness and question-and-answer sessions with employees and union representatives Wednesday.

"It's very difficult to come into a situation where the emotions are high. We are going to do our best to evaluate what the conditions are now," Mr. Usher said. "The conditions I have seen today, just walking around, are typical for a building of this age."

The visit came one day after workers attended the funeral for tax collector Linda M. Powers, 59, who died June 19 after a battle with ovarian cancer. Just three weeks earlier, senior clerk Sharon M. LaDuke at 57 died after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare cancer associated with asbestos.

The two deaths have, by all accounts, spread fear among village employees about the safety of their workplace.

Deputy Mayor Ruth F. Garner came to the civic center Wednesday morning when she heard about what she called "the fiasco."

"I've worked with these people for 25 years, and I've never seen anything like this turmoil before," Mrs. Garner said. "I don't blame people for being afraid, with two people dying. But it has created an aura, like the air is poisoned, before anybody even begins testing."

Two separate tests have shown that the civic center's air is safe.

Another state representative who came to investigate a formal complaint on June 5 conducted a polarizing-light microscopy test, which found there were significantly lower levels of fibers in air samples than the exposure limit of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter.

The village paid Atlantic Testing Laboratories, Canton, to conduct air monitoring tests to look for asbestos in 15 locations throughout the civic center May 19. Those tests were returned with a "non-detection" level, which means there were no airborne asbestos fibers found in the air.

Asbestos insulation still surrounds some pipes in the building, and officials recently found out it also is in the mastic adhering tiles to the courtroom ceiling.

One pipe in particular drew controversy Wednesday, when employees accused Village Administrator Michael D. Weil of ordering a maintenance worker to tape over holes in some insulation they had concerns about.

"We asked them not to disturb anything until the state came," court clerk Shelly Warner said. "What harm would that have done?"

Mr. Weil said the basement pipe they were talking about was abated in 1999, and has fiberglass insulation on it. He also insisted he did not ask anyone to touch the pipe.

Mr. Usher took tours of the building with employees so he could see their areas of concern, and conducted more air tests.

"When people have the perception to not trust someone, it takes a long time to regain that trust," he said.

The village is still awaiting the final report from the state stemming from its first visit. The bureau likely will cite the municipality with two minor violations in that report, Mr. Weil said.

One of the violations resulted from a pipe in the boiler room not being properly labeled, and another from not providing asbestos awareness training. Those two problems have since been taken care of.

"If it's a true danger, people have the right to know. I don't know of any subterfuge," Mrs. Garner said. "Everybody just needs to step back and wait for the report to come in. We need a common-sense approach. If there's a problem, it will be taken care of."