Officials downplay fears of asbestos at site

Shingles and pipe pieces flushed by floodwaters from the closed Sunrise Mountain landfill pose no immediate health threat from airborne asbestos, health and environmental inspectors said.

Officials from the Clark County Health District investigated the site Monday after a county environmental supervisor raised concerns about asbestos particles floating in the air to homes and a school a mile away.

A June 29 memo written by Vic Skaar noted the debris washed up to 100 feet downstream from Sunrise Mountain. Skaar was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

Skaar, who discovered the debris containing asbestos on April 7, said if the materials remain exposed to weather, asbestos fibers could pose a threat to nearby residents and the school.

However, inspectors did not find particles at the site.

Air Pollution Enforcement Supervisor Harold Glasser said the scattered debris did not pose an airborne threat to either the school or neighboring homes. "There's no danger from the asbestos getting into the air," he said.

To become dangerous, the asbestos-laced construction materials have to be crushed or cut, Ed Wojcik, the health district's solid waste supervisor, said.

Las Vegas High School, near Sahara Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, is a mile away. "The idea that it could get to the high school is ludicrous," Wojcik said.

No violations have been issued, Wojcik said. During Monday's tour, he said he found dated materials mixed in with the broken water pipes dated between 1979 and 1981.

Silver State Disposal Co., manager of the unlined landfill covering 760 acres, plans to remove the debris from the dry wash running west on federal Bureau of Land Management property, but no deadline has been set.

Investigators said that it appeared a flood had gouged a path from a pit filled with building materials before landfill rules changed asbestos disposal in 1985. After that, asbestos had to be contained in plastic bags before being buried.

Asbestos resists heat and was used to insulate and fireproof buildings through the 1970s. The dry fibers can cause cancer if they become airborne and are inhaled.

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