Faced with the high cost of asbestos abatement, some cities have turned to a highly controversial — and likely very unsafe — way to raze buildings that get in the way of progress: the “wet method.”

The Clean Air Act and government regulations require any asbestos to be contained, removed by hand then bagged before a building can be razed. In general, the “wet method” merely requires spraying asbestos–containing areas with a fire hose, then demolishing the structure leaving the asbestos in place.  Unfortunately, this procedure may allow asbestos to become airborne and that’s when it is most dangerous.

The airport authority in St. Louis has been doing this since 1999 as it razes whole neighborhoods to make room for a new airport. Fort Worth is planning a similar demolition project to the old, abandoned Cowtown Inn.

Indeed, in 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency gave St. Louis permission to continue using the “wet method,” despite the fact that no one at the agency knew about the situation in St. Louis until then.

Now, according to reporting in in August in the EPA has revoked its blessing on the airport authority’s asbestos removal methods.

The current turnabout in EPA policy comes after media coverage, internal agency outrage, and public protest about the wet removal method.

The EPA has also told officials in Fort Worth to hold their horses on those plans to demolish that old hotel.

Unfortunately, a lot of damage could already have been done in St. Louis because there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Even low levels of asbestos can cause diseases that take years to develop. The worst of these, an aggressive cancer called mesothelioma, may not develop until 20 to 40 years or more after initial asbestos exposure.

Because the cancer is fatal and no completely effective mesothelioma treatment exists to reduce the disease it may be important to develop litigation and potentially receive monetary compensation to pay for costly medical bills. Effective mesothelioma lawyers are well trained and experienced in successfully handling these types of cases.