City Says Closure of Asbestos-Tainted Motel Unlikely

In Yakima, Washington, city officials have announced that they do not have any plans at the present time to close down the Tourist Motel. The motel has made headlines recently due to severe issues with mold, asbestos, and other dangers. The owner of the Tourist Motel is currently working to bring the site back into code, meaning that the motel is no longer under immediate threat of closure from the city.

The city had shut down the motel last year due to mold and asbestos issues, as well as numerous prostitution and drug-related incidents. Now, however, Yakima Building Inspector Nathan Thompson says that most of the problems have been resolved at 2 or the 3 buildings owned by the motel. Delays in cleaning up the site occurred due to the fact that the motel’s owner, Raji Sanson, was out of the country on a business trip to India when the state of the motel became public knowledge.

Removal of asbestos from the site is important, as even small amounts of the material can be lethal if it becomes airborne. Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, there is no known cure. The disease can take up to fifty years to be diagnosed, with symptoms often not appearing until many decades after the initial exposure to asbestos particles has occurred.

The Tourist Motel had been an eyesore and a dangerous property throughout most of 2008, with police called to the motel a whopping 260 times from July 1 to November 20. City code officers raided the motel last month, which is when the extent of the asbestos and mold issues made headlines.

Source: http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/12/29/city-not-likely-to-close-tourist-motel