New Method of Tearing Down Asbestos Contaminated Home "Probably Safe"

A test in December 2007 of a new method for tearing down asbestos-contaminated buildings is probably safe, but concerns still exist, according to experts assembled by the federal government. The Oak Hollow Apartments are secured as Fort Worth and the EPA prepare to demolish them this week. An experimental method will be used to dispose of the buildings with asbestos, with hopes that the method is safer and more cost-effective. The Environmental Protection Agency, with cooperation from the city of Fort Worth, will demolish a portion of the vacant Oak Hollow Apartments using an updated version of what's called the "wet method," or "Fort Worth method." The method, which is still in the experimental stages, has drawn the opposition of some environmentalists, who said Monday that they could not garner enough support to stop the testing. A successful test could help pave the way for federal approval of the first new asbestos abatement method in decades and potentially make it cheaper to demolish buildings that have become eyesores and neighborhood dangers nationwide.