Larger Attendance for Asbestos Screening Than Expected

Larger Attendance for Asbestos Screening Than Expected
Larger Attendance for Asbestos Screening Than Expected

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

When Parkland Memorial Hospital sent out flyers for the asbestos screening they were holding over the weekend, they had no idea they would be forced to turn people away.

More than 500 residents of the West Dallas neighborhood that was once home to a vermiculite plant attend the screening.

Old Plant Causes Concern

W.R. Grace & Co. was in business from 1953 to 1992 before it was torn down in 2002.

The plant manufactured fire-retardant materials that were extracted from vermiculite.

During production, asbestos fibers were released into the air potentially affecting those living in the surrounding areas.

In May, health officials screened 25 people and eight of them had asbestos related diseases.

City officials then proposed a larger screening be available to residents.

“People are hurting and sick, and they’re looking for ways to get help,” stated Sue Pickens, Parkland’s director of strategic planning.

Past Problems Surface

Kevin Moran, 56, who attended the screening, used to work at the plant.

“I remember the houses nearby, and I remember the dust around the plant. I don’t remember it in the air, but surely, it must have gone into the surrounding neighborhood,” said Moran. “It’s just that nobody thought it was an issue back then.”

(Source: The Houston Chronicle)

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Larger Attendance for Asbestos Screening Than Expected