In Sebring, Florida, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has identified 12 sites along the Sebring Parkway where concrete debris has tested positive for asbestos. The samples, collected over the past two months, are not the only asbestos danger in the area: large piles of pipes made from asbestos-concrete pipe have been located at the Highlands County Landfill. The asbestos-tainted rubble was generated during recent work on the parkway.

According to Randal Landers, project manager for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the samples tested were "found to be non-friable asbestos-containing-material (ACM)." According to local news sources, “The sample fragments were collected on Peach Street, Grapefruit Street…between Center and Lemon streets…on the Palmetto Walking Trail” and in various other areas.

Landers told local reporters that "In response to your question regarding public health risk from exposed asbestos, there are risks associated with handling asbestos-containing materials; therefore, it is imperative that proper handling procedures and safety precautions always be taken when handling asbestos to reduce/eliminate public health risk."

Exposure to asbestos can lead to a variety of ailments, including mesothelioma, a rare cancer that can affect the organs and lining of the abdominal cavity. The cancer may lie dormant for as long as 50 years before the first symptoms emerge. The cancer affects under 3,000 patients in America per year.

"Our department will be working closely with the county and the Sebring staff to ensure future notifications are timely regarding projects involving regulated-asbestos-containing-materials and to ensure these projects are handled in accordance with EPA…Regulations,” Landers added.

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