-16-
in additional costs to Hawkins, which passed those costs on to
petitioner.)
The removal of the asbestos-containing materials from the
Douglas Street building was substantially completed by the end of
May 1989. Following completion, Norwest Nebraska learned that the
two elevator lobbies in the parking garage contained vinyl asbestos
floor tile. Petitioner hired Technical Asbestos Control to remove
and replace these tiles.
The removal of the asbestos-containing materials from the
Douglas Street building did not extend the building's useful life.
G. Health Concerns
In addition to removing the asbestos-containing materials on
account of the remodeling, petitioner also considered the health
and welfare of its employees and customers. Even though the level
of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations in the Douglas Street
building did not exceed OSHA or EPA standards for exposure, the
presence of asbestos-containing materials in the return air plenum
nonetheless increased the possibility for release of asbestos
fibers into the air: (1) The flow of air through the return air
plenum made surface erosion of the asbestos-containing materials
more likely; (2) the asbestos-containing materials had already
started to delaminate or flake off, which was almost certain to
become progressively worse; and (3) the necessity for working above
the suspended ceiling in the return air plenum to replace light
fixtures or computer cables created greater chances for disturbance
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