Upheaval, fear over asbestos unsettle apartment dwellers in Magnolia
In the dusty job of cutting through walls and ceilings to install new plumbing, workers took none of the precautions required for materials containing asbestos, potentially endangering the 60 or so residents — and themselves.
The state Department of Labor and Industries and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency are investigating why no safety measures were taken and whether the absence was intentional.
Renovation in one of Hillcrest's two buildings finished in February. Construction was wrapping up in the other building late last month when a contractor working on an elevator recognized asbestos within construction debris.
Subsequent testing of the air in both buildings found airborne asbestos levels to be low, but tenants are left wondering what the levels were at the peak of construction.
"Six weeks ago, two months ago, three months ago, levels would have been much higher in my building," said Claudia Gowan, who lives where construction ended in February. "Back then, there was so much dust, you couldn't see down the hallway. It was opaque. You could taste the dust."
Hillcrest's twin buildings are located on a bluff on 27th Avenue West, near Lawton Park, and owned by a trust represented by Key Bank.
On March 28, Scott Real Estate Investments of Seattle, which manages the property, evacuated all residents of the building where construction was still active. While the building is being cleaned up, tenants are being put up in extended-stay hotels for at least another three weeks.
Steve Hortegas, spokesman for Scott, said the company is sparing no expense to reimburse and accommodate relocated tenants — although some tenants believe not all losses are being covered.
Hortegas also said the company did not intentionally take shortcuts on asbestos mitigation during the renovation.
"There was no knowledge of needing to do a good-faith test for asbestos," Hortegas said. "Everyone here is acknowledging that this is a bad situation and is looking toward a successful resolution in every way. The primary concern is for the health and safety of the tenants."
Merna Karp, one of the relocated tenants, said she lived amid construction dust for several weeks but figured asbestos was not an issue.
"I was just assuming that those types were being taken care of, so it never really concerned me," she said.
Asbestos, a mineral fiber commonly used in building materials before scientists determined it was unsafe, is harmful when disturbed and the small particles get into the air. Long-term exposure can cause lung disease or cancer.
Karp said workers removed a decorative "popcorn ceiling" in the hallway and that the door of her unit was left open during the process. The Hillcrest was built in 1969 and many popcorn ceilings installed before the 1980s contain asbestos fibers.
"I'm very concerned," Karp said. "It's been a total nightmare. None of this would have had to happen if the proper precautions had been taken."
Tenants of Gowan's building were told Monday that they also will have to evacuate soon — but likely for only one to three days — as workers clean whatever dusty residue remains from the construction.
Mario Miller, supervising inspector for Puget Sound Clean Air, said that before renovation is done on a building, an assessment should be done to identify potentially hazardous materials.
"Before tearing into walls and ceilings, you need to know what you're tearing into," he said. Miller said that although there are no concerns about high counts of airborne asbestos fibers now at Hillcrest, "the big concern is to get those two buildings totally cleaned up and have that done in a way that is safe and results in no more exposure."
Elaine Fischer, spokeswoman for Labor and Industries, which has jurisdiction over worker safety, said the agency does not comment on investigations in progress. Tenants said contractors who might have been exposed include plumbers, drywallers and painters, and carpet cleaners.
As far back as December, tenants of Gowan's building wrote a letter to management complaining about the dust, dirt and sediment throughout common areas and inadequate ventilation. Gowan said her fourth-floor apartment became so dusty she could write her name on her dining table.
Gowan, an attorney, said she suffered from an upper respiratory infection during the four months of construction and other tenants have reported similar illnesses, some severe.
"I don't mean to imply that the illness I experienced was caused by asbestos," Gowan said. "But I do believe it was caused by the heavy particulate matter in the air. There is fear among tenants that our upper respiratory systems have been compromised and that, down the line, we might be subject to asbestos-related illness from the exposure."
Stuart Eskenazi: 206-464-2293 or seskenazi@seattletimes.com