The city will soon begin testing soil and dust at Tustin residents’ homes for any asbestos or lead emitted from the burnt north hangar at the Marine Corps Air Station, after previously focusing on larger debris chunks found outside.
Details for how sampling will be done, and when, will be shared in the coming days, said Stephanie Najera, a spokesperson for the city. While OC Health Care Agency officials said recently asbestos in the air played a “limited role” and experts from the incident management team determined testing indoor spaces was unnecessary, Tustin is moving forward to quell community concerns, officials said.
“The city appreciates OCHCA’s scientific conclusion that interior residential testing is unnecessary based on the extensive available data,” Mayor Austin Lumbard said in a statement. “However, in a collective effort to go above and beyond what is required to address lingering community concerns, the city is moving forward with performing exterior soil and interior air/dust sampling for asbestos and lead.”
The Environmental Protection Agency will provide oversight for the additional testing. Previously the city has directed residents to fill out an online form to report chunks of debris on their property. City contractors have cleared more than 1,200 homes and less than 200 still need to be inspected and possibly remediated.
Residents have been calling for more testing. One neighborhood association near the hangar hired its own company that reported finding asbestos and lead on the exteriors of homes. When the results were shared with environmental agencies that are a part of the response team for the fire, they responded and said they couldn’t make an informed evaluation of the results and questioned the testing methods.
Susan Keefe, who lives in the area, said she found the response frustrating and wishes there was more done earlier to test for asbestos and lead.
Dust and air sampling at nearby schools did not detect any asbestos, officials said, which paved the way for the remaining closed campuses in Tustin Unified to reopen this week.
The continued testing of residents’ homes will add to the costs associated with the hangar fire aftermath. Najera said projected costs currently exceed $60 million, but the total amount won’t be known for months. Navy officials say they are committed to fully paying for remediation efforts, but the process takes time. The Navy has so far earmarked $11 million to the city and another $6 million for a contractor to clean up the burnt site.
“Although the Navy requested the city take immediate action and incur expenses on its behalf for the protection of the public’s health and safety in response to the Navy hangar emergency, the Navy has proven unable to commit to timely or full repayment to the city for its efforts,” Najera said in an email. “The city is frustrated by the difference between those expectations, as they place incredible undue strain on the city’s finances.”
