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June 05, 2012
Jamestown, North Dakota - The Stutsman County Courthouse in Jamestown North Dakota is contaminated with extremely toxic and carcinogenic materials that place employees and visitors in the new, attached courthouse at a serious health risk. Among the deadly materials found in the old courthouse include asbestos, lead and seven different types of mold, two of which are known cancer-causing spores.
Beyond the immediate health risk, the historic courthouse also poses imminent fire safety concerns. Specifically, the potentially lethal combination of unsafe wiring with flammable items, including original wooden furniture, increase the risk of fire.
The far largest health concern is that the new courthouse is physically attached to the unused, historic courthouse in several places, thus increasing the possibility of not only cross contamination but also fire risk.
Though the health issues have been known since January, the stumbling block to decontaminate the old courthouse has fallen to money. Simply, budgetary concerns restrict any site clean up. From disintegrating wiring that contains asbestos and flaking lead paint to the several different types of mold found, a firm hired to assess the historic courthouse recommends that the building to be sealed off and entry entirely restricted.
A temporary and less expensive solution proposed would require sand to be poured into the most contaminated floor, the basement. The thought is that it would immediately suspend any further health and environmental damage by eliminating the threat of the exposed asbestos wiring, mold and lead paint.
Critics of the plan say that any attempt to clean up the courthouse would be premature and wasteful. Specifically, any plans for what the old courthouse would be do not exist, and spending money to decontaminate the building would be wasteful.
The on-going concern are the potential air quality issues in the new courthouse. Since the new building shares walls and vents, there is a significant risk that contaminated air will filter into the new building. Some of the identified molds are both highly allergenic and potentially carcinogenic, and asbestos exposure may lead to mesothelioma and lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly disease directly linked to inhalation or ingestion of asbestos particles.
The air quality in the new courthouse will be monitored over the course of the summer as plans to decontaminate the old courthouse are solidified.
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