Asbestos no risk at MTA site: report

Though signs warned of danger — “Cancer and lung disease hazard” — asbestos-laced anti-vibration cloth in a vent fan system was no threat to 1,000 workers at the MTA’s East New York bus depot, an MTA inspector general report found.

But the IG report to be released Wednesday found that the MTA could have handled the issue better.

After a consultant report in March 2019 confirmed the presence of asbestos cloth in the fan system, the MTA’s Office of System Safety sat on the information for two months, the inspector general said.

Contrary to fears, asbestos from the cloth did not blow through the building, and the consultant said no immediate action was needed.

But the IG said the delay was unacceptable.

“Two months is an unnecessarily long period of time to await such a survey, and affected [East New York depot] management’s ability to schedule necessary work in the fan house,” the IG said. The cloth was “remediated,” or rendered safe, by wrapping and encapsulation in November, the IG noted.

The cloth will be removed when the building’s ventilation fans are replaced early in 2021, the report says.

The MTA also shelved and forgot about a comprehensive 2011 survey of asbestos issues in the depot that documented the ventilation system cloth, the IG found.

Also, the MTA lacks a system to track asbestos conditions on its properties, and wasn’t aware of the status of asbestos locations in the 2011 report.

The agency needs to do a better job tracking asbestos in its facilities, the IG said.

The Transport Workers Union is satisfied that the MTA is now dealing with the problem properly, said J.P. Patafio, a Local 100 vice president.