FORT MADISON - A small fine has been levied against the City of Fort Madison for exposed asbestos at the city's water distribution facility.
According to city records, the city paid $2,500 in January for a fine imposed after an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector discovered a pipe with deteriorating insulation at the city's facility on 20th Street.
According to City Manager David Varley the city has already scheduled repair of the pipe.
"We have somebody lined up to come in and take care of this short section of pipe so we will be in compliance with the associated regulations concerning insulated piping," Varley wrote in an email Wednesday.
According to a report, the pipe was wrapped, or insulated, with a material containing asbestos. A short section of the pipe had insulation that had fallen off and onto the floor.
"We got dinged because of this material being exposed even though that part of the building is not being used," Varley said.
According to the National Cancer Institute, people who become ill from asbestos are usually those who are exposed to it on a regular basis, most often in a job where they work directly with the material or through substantial environmental contact.
City Public Works Director Mark Bousselot said the inspection took place on Dec. 14 and the city had a remediation inspector on site that day.
The city has also had air testing done and on Dec. 21, those results showed no indication of asbestos in the air. The sample of the pipe insulation did test positive for asbestos, however.
The city was notified of the violation on Jan. 19.
"The pipe was in the cold storage portion of the shop that is only used for storage. The pipe appeared to be an old boiler line that had asbestos-wrapped insulation around it," Bousselot wrote in an email.
Remediation of the situation began Wednesday, he wrote.
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