Asbestos-laden Texas hospital at the center of county controversy

In Madison County, Texas, local voters must decide if they wish to create a new hospital district. The area is home to an aging hospital building that is over sixty years old, and contains high levels of asbestos, a known carcinogen that can cause various types of lung cancers. The asbestos is present in such high levels that removal will cost an estimated $500,000 to $2 million, according to one local resident.

The reason that asbestos removal is so costly has to do with the number of state and federal regulations that govern the removal, handling, and disposal of the carcinogenic material. Asbestos exposure can lead to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Asbestos exposure can also cause other cancers, as well as benign scarring of the lining of the lungs.

Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The majority of patients lose their battle with mesothelioma cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

"I think a lot of people are starting to understand that we are serious and we are committed to the area but that we’re not going to build new structures, so if we’re going to have them in our community, we’re going to have to come up with another way of going about it," argues Reed Edmundson, Vice President of Rural Hospitals for the St. Joseph Services Corporation.

"We’re more than glad to stay there with our present facility as long as it lasts, but healthcare facilities don’t last forever," added Edmundson.