Asbestos was linked to cancer decades ago, but it remains embedded in dozens of outdated buildings on the 144-acre campus of the Oregon State Hospital.

8/27/2006, 2:00 p.m. PT
The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Asbestos was linked to cancer decades ago, but it remains embedded in dozens of outdated buildings on the 144-acre campus of the Oregon State Hospital.

Ron Parker, a hospital baker who retired from there in 2003 after 28 years, is worried.

Parker, 59, fears he may have been exposed to it before the hospital took steps to contain it.

His concerns increased when he read a story in the Statesman Journal newspaper about the facility being fined for asbestos violations.

"It just got me to thinking, how much of that stuff was back there in the foodservice area that we weren't aware of." he said. "I don't think anybody realizes what the danger was."

The issue has sparked workplace-safety concerns, complicated remodeling projects and prompted officials to close parts of the West Coast's oldest psychiatric facility.

If the state heeds consultants' advice and levels the place, asbestos removal could cost millions of dollars.

So the hospital's 123-year-old J Building still stands, even though it has been deemed dangerous... (Read More)

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Oregon State Hospital remains riddled with asbestos

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