So this late 60’s/early 70’s company building, a small alleys length away, is being knocked down to make way for a 10 storey apartment building. They first reported during the demolition pre-preparation that Asbestos was present, but was only located inside the building interior, and that they had done the proper remediation to remove it. Then just as the crane was tearing down the first outer wall of the building, they suddenly stopped (that was a month ago). A few weeks back they posted a new notice saying they discovered spray on Asbestos lining the outer walls, which I’m told is very bad because that’s the kind that can get kicked up into air if they don’t do proper remediation before knocking down the walls. Meanwhile they didn’t properly cover any of the wall they already knocked down. Leaving the debris exposed to the outside elements.
I thought they were going to stop until they could remove it all properly. But this morning a small construction crew showed up and started removing metal and other debris from the building (not wearing proper safety gear), while the crane operator was moving heavy debris into a dumpster, kicking up dust. I feel they’re kicking up the asbestos into the air, again. None of my neighbors seems to care. They think as long as they’re away at work when they’re doing it, there’s no risk. The police don’t care because they think they already must have a permit to knock the building down. Does anyone know a proper government department to report this to? Has anyone been in a similar situation?
3 comments
Well, you’re a foreigner, so the short answer for you is, nobody.
The delay may have been them getting a ‘pass’ on this situation. I suppose you would start at your city office and they’ll point you to city planning or whatever.
But, it’ll be over before anything can be done about it… welcome to Japan. It’s probably already finished.
Asbestos is something that’s natural. Out in the open air it’s not really dangerous from everything I’ve read.
There’s also different types. Is it friable? If it’s asbestos contained in cement for example, it’s non-friable which is the safest type. That + being outside is about the best situation you could ask for.
From everything I’ve read about asbestos, people misunderstood the danger. Generally the people getting problems for it handled very friable asbestos daily for years and years… and the danger i think isn’t too different from fiberglass, which nobody ever talks about.
Police won’t handle it because it’s just not part of what they do. Your local city/town government office is the place for this, and if they have an environmental bureau (might come under 大気環境 or 大気汚染) that is even better. Bring the notices with you, can even tell them you’re especially concerned about children/elderly people in the area and associated long-term risks. There have been a few nasty asbestos incidents in the recent past, and also lawsuits, so it’s not like no one is concerned about the issue.
If you’re in Tokyo, this might be a good place to start: https://www.kankyo.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/air/air_pollution/emission_control/asbestos/contact/tokyo.html