It's been 20 years since I did my asbestos training, and I'm curious what your reaction, or the reaction of your respective jurisdictions would be if...

... a contractor demolishing an old powerplant in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, dumped infinity tons of asbestos... EVERYWHERE, and just left it blowing around the neighbourhood like tumbleweed.

Would it be declared one of those "superfund" sites or something?

Based on all the precautions we were told to take when it came to working around asbestos, it seems completely insane that a contractor would do this. These photos are from 2018.

Here are some photos.

Where? Poland?

Whoa. Assuming that is actually asbestos, if that happened here, the proverbial feculence would impact the circumvolving airfoils. The contractor would probably go bankrupt, thus off the hook (but maybe not those individually responsible) and our tax dollars would likely pay for a hideously expensive remediation. Even if that isn't asbestos, that's bad.

Yes. Formerly the "Vladimir Lenin Power Plant" in the city of Łódź... how'd that get there?

First entered service in 1957. I can't imagine there would be anything but asbestos in such a facility...

Anyways, what do you think the Canadian response would be to such a situation?

I'm not from Canada but I believe the government has a multi-billion fund set up for remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites. And there's contractors that specialize in those cleanups.

BTW, how was all the asbestos handled in North America when scrapping thousands of steam locomotives, and where was it sent?

If it got sent anywhere it probably went to the landfill eventually.

Back in maybe 1974 or 75 I was involved in getting the UP #440 to make the trip to Wi on its own wheels. By this time in my youth I had stripped 2 or 3 locomotives of their lagging or insulation. I had no idea and either did most of the population back then. But many people did and were more or less up to date on the health risks. I did not know anything about it. So in the UP yards of Lincoln, NB we got the #440 ready to roll. Had some time so I started poking around the severely rotted out jacketing of the boiler. I have never seen corrosion like this on any locomotive from water and asbestos. The UP in last boiler rebuild used what seemed like thousands of flexible stay bolts and the caps and sleeves were basically rotted off and deep pits in the wrapper sheets. So I started tearing the jacketing and insulation off the loco. I had to head back to Wi on Amtrack in a day or so. Got the jacketing off and saved in the tender and just scooped the wet insulation onto the ground. Before I left, the UP yard master happened by or someone like him anyway, he chewed me out a new one for making such a mess and he did know about asbestos being hazardous. He was seriously pissed. I had no clue as to why. Of course I understand now, but this was over 50 years ago. John Mansville in Waukegan, Ill was still running 3 shifts I think? I went home and the mess got cleaned up and swept under the rug no doubt. I have often thought of that supervisor and how pissed he was. Wasn't till a few years later did I understand why.

I am 71 now and wonder if my lungs are going to be what takes me? I stripped 5 locomotives in my life. UP #440, CB&Q 4960, NYC/CIPS 0-6-0 that MC used to have that went to Utica, NY? And 0-4-0 #701 at MC, and finally the Copper Range #29. No mask and came out looking like a ghost. Luckily the #701 and CR #29 had been redone in fibreglass. The only locomotive I saw in similar condition for leaving boiler lagging on was the SOO Line 4-6-2 in Tallulah park in Appleton Wi, you can see the deep pitting and damage from the ground, behind the fence.

A lot of the insulation in the original post looks like pink fiberglass insulation? Most asbestos was installed in sheets or brick and crumbled into power when disturbed? Am sure there was asbestos in there. That guy left a serious mess, not unlike someone else I know, but they left a much bigger mess. I sincerely feel bad for the UP foreman I left such a mess for, not to mention a hazardous mess.

WHOA!!!! That does not look like asbestos. Most of what is in the photos shows up as a white blob and could just as easily be cotton or whipped cream. I am retired from the power generation biz and I have seen a lot of it. Most pipe and vessel insulation is short fibers mixed with a gypsum plaster and shaped to conform to the shape of the object being insulated or sprayed on surfaces being protected. While that mess, asbestos or not , is ridiculous and not tolerated in most of North America, the rest of the world is not always so fortunate. I wonder when this occurred. There was a time when that could have been in this country. 94% of the people that get mesothelioma also smoked tobacco. Where is the outrage and fear of that?

Just remember, these photos are from 2018. I got my asbestos training in 2008.

On top of seeing those, "did you work in a shipyard..." commercials most of my life...

So the dangers of dealing with asbestos were well established by the time I took these photos.

It seems like most of Poland is made from asbestos. Many old houses still have roofs made from these asbestos sheets. And of course there are so many abandoned bunkers and buildings, just filled to the brim with asbestos...



It just doesn't seem to be on peoples consciences over here... no "did you work in a shipyard..." commercials...

Most likely went out with the other trash. Asbestos didn't become a serious public health and safety concern until the 70's.