Yakima hotel shut down due to mesothelioma-causing asbestos, other issues

In Yakima, Washington, the city has officially shut down the Tourist Motel. The closure is due in part to a massive asbestos problem, as well as other issues.

"They have thirty days to get a contractor to start abating that before anything can be done in that building," said Joe Caruso, Yakima City Code Enforcement Officer. "If anyone goes inside that building they will be arrested for illegal trespassing."

Asbestos has been disturbed in the motel, forcing the tiny fibers to become airborne. These fibers are lethal when inhaled, causing many people who are exposed to the material to develop serious health problems. Asbestos exposure is linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, with the cancer causing death (in some cases) within only a few months of diagnosis.

According to Joe Walkenhauer, a consultant with Sun Pacific Service, respirators will need to be worn by workers during the cleanup. "It’s a popcorn ceiling from what I understand, so it’s a negative pressure air, category one, friable material, because it can be pulverized with hand pressure. That’s the worst you can get," said Walkenhauer. "You’ll have to set up a decon[tamination] station so your men can take showers, you’ll have to have waste load out, it’s pretty intensive."

Walkenhauer told reporters that the asbestos abatement at the motel could cost tens of thousands of dollars, and it is possible that the motel may end up be torn down.