The Problem

The Calvary Episcopal Church in downtown Santa Cruz, CA was built in 1865, the same year the Civil War ended. It’s been open to worshipers ever since, and is now the oldest building in Santa Cruz County still being used for its original purpose.

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However, occupying a historic building sometimes comes at a cost. In 1865, people didn’t know about vitamins, viruses, or x-rays, and they certainly didn’t know that the material they were using to insulate the church and protect it from fire would turn out to be a major health risk.

The roof of the Calvary Episcopal Church contained asbestos, a mineral fiber that occurs naturally in rocks and soils. Asbestos was widely used in construction in the U.S. because of its insulating and fire-retardant properties. However, the inhalation of asbestos fibers has been found to cause serious health issues like lung cancer and mesothelioma. As a result, many uses of asbestos were prohibited in the United States in 1970 as part of the Clean Air Act.

Asbestos isn’t dangerous when it’s sitting still. However, when it becomes dislodged by construction, repairs, or natural disaster, it can become deadly.

For this reason, removing asbestos is extremely difficult. If removal is attempted without taking proper safety measures, work crews and building occupants face serious danger. It’s critical that building owners hire licensed asbestos abatement companies to remove asbestos in order to avoid these risks.

Alliance Does it Right

Alliance Environmental Group is one such licensed asbestos abatement company. Our crews have worked on over 80,000 asbestos removal jobs, and every crew member is educated by OSHA-authorized trainers before they begin working in the field. At our three state-of-the-art training facilities, Alliance technicians learn how to safely remove, handle, and dispose of asbestos.

In May 2018, an Alliance asbestos abatement crew led by Ed Work and Robbie Shepner arrived on site at the Calvary Episcopal Church. Operating in strict accordance with all local, state, and federal laws, the team cleaned out all removable items from the church. Then, Alliance crew members set up a negative air pressure containment area to prevent dislodged particles from escaping the site.

All crew members wore a complete set of personal protective equipment, including an abatement suit, gloves, a mask, goggles, boots, and respiratory protection.

The Results

Alliance work crews spent two weeks removing about 7,000 square feet of asbestos-containing materials from the roof of the church. In total, the process took 372 hours to complete.

Now the Calvary Episcopal Church is asbestos-free. The congregation can breathe easy, knowing that attending their “Little Red Church” is going to be safe and secure for many years to come.

Safely remove asbestos from your building. Contact Alliance today.