First asbestos tests on smoke from Sinclair fire come back clean

The first round of air testing from the Sinclair fire, conducted by an environmental firm for its own employees, showed no asbestos in the smoke plume.

Family Environmental Compliance Services, 329 10th Ave. SE, took air samples Dec. 16, the day after fire was first reported at the former meatpacking plant at 1600 Third St. SE.

On that day, smoke inundated the firm's office in the Cherry Building in New Bohemia, blocks from the fire.

“It was pretty bad over here,” project manager Michael Murphy said.

The Environmental Protection Agency's clearance level for asbestos is .01 fibers per cubic centimeter.

Murphy said samples were not only under that level, “there was nothing there, basically.”

Because of safety issues, firefighters could not get inside buildings to reach the fire and had to let the fire burn the first day, Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said.

The smoke was not an issue until later that night, Buelow said, when Linn County Public Health issued a health advisory.

Murphy said water helps control asbestos on burning material by making the fibers fall to the ground, but with the size of the smoke plume Wednesday, “you couldn't do anything about it.”

He didn't know what other air samples would show.

Family Environmental was contracted by the city on Friday to collect air samples. The samples, taken within 100 feet of the fire, were sent to labs in Denver, Colo.

Murphy said it would be “a guess” to speculate on those tests, but the original tests should be “a good indication of what's to come.”

Here's the news release on the tests from the city:

Since December 15, 2009, the Cedar Rapids Fire Department has been fighting a large fire on the Sinclair property, located at 1600 3rd Street SE. The City hired D.W. Zinser of Walford, Iowa to assist fire crews by demolishing portions of the damaged structures to improve access to the flames. The Zinser Company is certified in asbestos abatement.“The water applied by firefighters has not only suppressed the fire, it has also mitigated any unknown asbestos materials that may be inside the burning structures,” said Fire Chief Steve Havlik.On November 27, 2009, Howard R. Green Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, took a series of six material samples in a few of the structures on the Sinclair property. The samples were tested by EMSL Analytical of Indianapolis, Indiana. One of the tests detected asbestos materials in a building that was not involved in the fire.On December 15, 2009, the Zinser Company took four material samples from the structures involved in the fire. The samples were tested by the Hygienic Laboratory of the University of Iowa. The results received last night (December 21, 2009) indicated one sample tested positive for asbestos. The suspected asbestos-containing pipe wrap material was removed on December 18 when safe access was available.On December 16, 2009, Family Environmental, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa conducted a round of air quality tests outside the Cherry Building, located at 329 10th Avenue SE. “This testing was prompted by the ongoing fire at the Sinclair property which is located approximately one-half mile from our office in the Cherry Building. Wind direction was from the south so our building was in the direct path of the smoke from the fire,” said Mike Murphy, project manager for Family Environmental, Inc., in a reported dated December 21, 2009. “This testing was performed strictly for our own purposes to ensure the safety of our office personnel. The results confirmed that concentrations of asbestos fibers are well below the clearance levels.”“Throughout this emergency situation, we have taken every measure we can to keep the people of Cedar Rapids safe,” said City Manager Jim Prosser. “In addition to assistance from the Linn County Public Health department, we have hired Family Environmental, Inc. to monitor air quality around the Sinclair Property. We will provide those additional testing results to the public when they are available.”For copies of the testing reports mentioned in this media release, please contact Cassie Willis at (319) 286-5055.

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“The water applied by firefighters has not only suppressed the fire, it has also mitigated any unknown asbestos materials that may be inside the burning structures,” said Fire Chief Steve Havlik.

On November 27, 2009, Howard R. Green Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, took a series of six material samples in a few of the structures on the Sinclair property. The samples were tested by EMSL Analytical of Indianapolis, Indiana. One of the tests detected asbestos materials in a building that was not involved in the fire.

On December 15, 2009, the Zinser Company took four material samples from the structures involved in the fire. The samples were tested by the Hygienic Laboratory of the University of Iowa. The results received last night (December 21, 2009) indicated one sample tested positive for asbestos. The suspected asbestos-containing pipe wrap material was removed on December 18 when safe access was available.

On December 16, 2009, Family Environmental, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa conducted a round of air quality tests outside the Cherry Building, located at 329 10th Avenue SE. “This testing was prompted by the ongoing fire at the Sinclair property which is located approximately one-half mile from our office in the Cherry Building. Wind direction was from the south so our building was in the direct path of the smoke from the fire,” said Mike Murphy, project manager for Family Environmental, Inc., in a reported dated December 21, 2009. “This testing was performed strictly for our own purposes to ensure the safety of our office personnel. The results confirmed that concentrations of asbestos fibers are well below the clearance levels.”

“Throughout this emergency situation, we have taken every measure we can to keep the people of Cedar Rapids safe,” said City Manager Jim Prosser. “In addition to assistance from the Linn County Public Health department, we have hired Family Environmental, Inc. to monitor air quality around the Sinclair Property. We will provide those additional testing results to the public when they are available.”

For copies of the testing reports mentioned in this media release, please contact Cassie Willis at (319) 286-5055.