THE Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is now in the process of removing Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) from the retired station at Hunts Bay, material that was recommended urgently moved five years ago.

The removal and disposal of the ACM began in May, the company said. It followed a 2002 recommendation by Professor Ishenkumba A Kahwa at the Chemistry Department of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, that the ACM material be urgently removed. This came after the JPSCo asked Professor Kahwa to determine the extent of asbestos in the retired Hunts Bay “A” station plant.

His report expressed “great concern”, stating that the asbestos pollution “that is friable, may be blown by the wind and spread to the rest of the Hunts Bay Power property and neighbouring communities”.

Following the report, the JPS decided to only remove ACM that was friable (brittle) from the retired plant, reasoning that “asbestos that is contained does not pose a health hazard to anyone”. Later, when the company decided to demolish the retired “A” station, and to remove the “rigid and in place ACM”, the specialised personnel needed to do the job were not readily available.

The JPS said that on two occasions between 2002 -2007, friable ACM was removed from the retired plant. In addition to removing friable ACM, the JPS said it also conducted air monitoring on at least three occasions at various locations in and around the retired “A” station to verify the concentrations of asbestos in the air.

“The company through Professor Kahwa also conducted routine air quality monitoring of the area within the vicinity of the plant and this revealed no presence of asbestos in the atmosphere,” the light and power company said.

The company subsequently decided to demolish the retired “A” station and got approval from the National Environment and Planning Agency to remove contained “rigid and in place ACM”.

However, the company said it took some time to find the specialised personnel needed to remove the ACM.

“Due to the fact that asbestos removal requires specialised personnel who are certified to carry out this type of work, it took some time to procure the required services. A contractor was eventally awarded the project through a tender process, however this agreement subsequently fell through. This resulted in an extension in the deadline for removal of ACM from the retired plant,” the JPS said.

Through another tender process, Professor Kahwa and his team were eventually subcontracted to carry out the removal and disposal of ACM, and following specialised training of the group to work on the Hunts Bay “A” Station, the removal process began at the plant in May, the JPS said.

Meanwhile, the company said it has “put in place every measure to ensure that the process is completed as safely as possible”.

“The company is quite aware of the impact of asbestos and as part of its corporate responsiblity portfolio and commitment to the environment, deems it critical that this material be removed from our operations quickly and safely,” the JPS said.

People who are exposed to asbestos dust, for example, may develop asbestosis, an irreversible disease that involves scarring of the lung tissue or the lining of the lung. They may also develop Mesothelioma, which is cancer of the membranes lining the lungs, chest and abdomen, and lung cancer. These diseases may take between 10 and 45 years from the time of exposure to the asbestos fibre to manifest themselves.