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MARCOR Remediation Brings Memorial Park’s Crypts Up to Code
Asbestos-containing panels must be replaced
5/23/2007–Monroe County, NY–Sometimes the task of providing permanent maintenance at a beautiful, historic cemetery can involve much more than the care of trees, lawns, gardens, and stately mausoleums. At one New York state memorial park, maintenance of late has involved the removal of hazardous materials found in the crypts of those resting there.
Over the past 18 months, a certified specialist with MARCOR Remediation, a national environmental services and asbestos abatement contractor with offices in Rochester, NY, has been supervising the careful work of cemetery employees. “We’re there to protect the health of the workers as they remove and dispose of the material,” said Dennis LaRocque, MARCOR’s project manager.
The presence of transite, a hazardous material made of asbestos and cement, was no surprise to cemetery management, which knew it had been in use at the site since 1920. Crypts holding the cremated remains of clients were sealed in part with a rectangular section of transite, used because of its strength and longevity. Recent changes in New York state law require the replacement of the transite present in cemetery crypts by the middle of 2008.
Workers for the memorial park have completed approximately 100 transite section replacements under the supervision of MARCOR Remediation. According to plan, the team will handle 100 more replacements, with the expected completion date of mid-October of this year.
Typically, workers first remove the brass plate on the exterior of the crypts for cremated remains. Behind the plate is the section of transite, typically measuring approximately one-eighth to one-quarter-inch thick and weighing about five pounds. Each section had been caulked into place. Wearing a Tyvek® suit and half-face respirator, the cemetery employee removes the caulk, properly disposes of the transite, replaces it with a non-asbestos-containing fiberglass-type panel, and then re-seals the crypt.
Work so far has focused on crypts located inside mausoleums. Work to come will be at outdoor crypts. “We are increasing the number of crypts we will complete between now and October so that we finish the work before cold weather returns to the area,” said LaRocque.
MARCOR Remediation, a specialty contracting company founded in 1980 with a current staff of 700 and headquarters in Hunt Valley, MD, performs a full range of environmental contracting services. These include industrial cleaning, asbestos and lead hazard abatement, mold remediation, plant/process decommissioning and demolition, soil and groundwater remediation, emergency spill response, gun range remediation, storage tank management, and restorative cleaning projects. Customers typically include industrial hygienists, commercial and industrial clients, government agencies, environmental consultants, real estate development and property management firms, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT), the hospitality industry, educational institutions, health care facilities, and others. Each of the company’s 15 offices is staffed with the necessary mix of senior technical management, regulatory compliance experts, and experienced HAZMAT labor force. For more information, the Web site is www.marcor.com.
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