Detecting Asbestos and Lead - The Brookline Method.
By Jim Conley • Apr 12th, 2008 • Email This Post to a Friend •
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Every once in awhile an environmental project yields a revolutionary method in abatement, detection or mitigation. Such is the case with the demolition of the rectory at the St. Aidan’s housing project (sponsored by the Town of Brookline and the Boston Archdiocese).
The Brookline method of air detection is to place air monitors engineered to detect lead and asbestos in places well away from the point where material release is a concern; and then shelter them from the prevailing air current (as pictured by the red dots above).
Oh, and be sure to use only two monitors with this method. Any more than that increases your chances of a false read (i.e., toxic material in the environment).
Using the Brookline method, the data comes back with nothing but happy news for developers and demolishers. I guess it’s true when those in town government say that, “nobody does environmental protection like Brookline.”
Update: While the rectory is shown in the picture above, bear in mind that two garages at the site have already been demolished. Those structure were even further away from the air monitors when they came down.
Jim Conley is publisher of On Brookline.
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