Patea asbestos fire sparks concern over Nurse's Home

New Zealand - The fire that occurred at the Patea meat processing plant, which released airborne asbestos contaminants and caused about 300 people to be evacuated from their homes, has raised public concern about another abandoned, old building.

Blenheim resident, Rex Bright, remembers the asbestos contamination that happened three years ago that caused the Nurse’s Home at Wairau Hospital to be shut down. The building had been used as a shelter for homeless people. It is currently on the county fire department’s list of potentially dangerous building.

There is a process to handle asbestos during demolition, but the Marlborough District Council says it cannot do anything about the building without consent from the owners. The building’s owner, Nelson Marborough District Health Board, is expected to sell the land in August to raise funds to finance a hospital redevelopment project.

Asbestos was found in other areas at the hospital several years ago and proper steps were taken to remove the substance from the building. However, officials believe that they might run into more once they begin tearing down areas in the building that are slated to be redesigned.

Nelson Marborough DHB admits that the Nurse’s Home contains asbestos cladding and that it would take a lot of money and work to make the building safe to conduct business. However, there are no plans or budget set aside for such a project.

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