The former Brown County Mental Health Center in Wisconsin is under intense scrutiny. County officials are currently trying to decide what to do with the aging facility. Pat Evans, chairman of the county’s Human Services Committee, believes that the building will likely need to be demolished due to extensive asbestos issues.

"The first thing I want to see is an evaluation of the property to see how much asbestos is in the facility," Evans said. "We need to know what the liability would be to the county." He then added that he would not mind if the property remained vacant once the hospital facility has been torn down.

Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. According to officials from the US Environmental Protection Agency, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. Despite a long latency period, the cancer often kills within months of being diagnosed, with the average patient told that they may live only about 24 months with the cancer after the onset of symptoms.

County Executive Tom Hinz has formed a committee to study options for old mental health facility, which was replaced earlier this year by the new Community Treatment Center. "We have to do something with the old hospital," Hinz said. "It’s costing us money." Architects estimate it would cost $1 million to tear down the old hospital.

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