Asbestos abatement at the Columbia County Courthouse in Portage, Wisc. can’t wait until next year because of the danger of exposure to the toxic mineral, Building and Grounds Inspector Cory Weigel told the county’s finance committee earlier this week.

An article in the Portage Daily Register quotes Weigel as saying that asbestos removal at the courthouse is essential as county maintenance employees often need access to the pipes, wires and ducts concealed by the hallway ceiling tiles on all three levels of the courthouse. Weigel notes that those tiles, made with asbestos, are friable, which means they are crumbling and can easily release airborne asbestos dust when handled.

County finance committee members grumbled about the $74,000 cost, but Weigel stood his ground about the abatement, reminding them that exposure to asbestos can cause serious pulmonary diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. He says the project will begin as soon as a licensed abatement professional can be found. There are only a few in the county, he notes, and many of them work on school buildings during the summer when students are on vacation.

The courthouse abatement will be done during the weekends when the courts are closed and no employees or members of the public are present, Weigel stressed.

The need for the removal project was discovered earlier this year when small amounts of asbestos was found in 15 areas of the building, probably caused by old pipe insulation. Discovery of the asbestos tiles in the ceiling came later and prompted a quicker and more costly remedy.

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