Water main burst releases asbestos

New York City, NY - People in Manhattan experienced an unwanted situation on Monday after an 85-year-old water main burst underground near Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.

The city's aging water network infrastructure broke through the surface, revealing itself and sending blasting streams of water, some of which contained traces of asbestos, into the busy commercial district.

One retail store was evacuated and sealed off from employees and the public for the rest of the day after roughly 100 gallons of asbestos-containing water made its way into the building. Authorities were concerned about the building posing a health risk to its occupants.

The Fire Department was alerted of the water break just after 8:00 AM, and it wasn't until an hour later that they were able to get water service to the area shut off.

The burst caused seven buildings, including the retail store, to be left without water on Monday, and the area's already terrible traffic situation was in chaos for almost the entire day.

A restaurant owner in the area said the break caused him to lose a few thousand dollars in business since food deliveries, restroom service and the restaurant's yogurt machine were negatively impacted.

A sample of mud collected from 57th street showed that it was tainted with asbestos, causing a delay in repair work to the streets. Authorities believe that asbestos wrapping from a steam pipe near the water main might have been dislodged by the strong water currents.

Decontamination crews were sent in to clean the street and get rid of the remaining mud. Authorities said they would keep monitoring the air quality in the area while work was being performed and would halt work if they detected signs of the deadly fibers.

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