Cancer News, Treatment and Research

A rebuilding project that would have taken a troubled former nursing home and turned it into a sparkling new apartment and retail complex was halted after it was discovered that workers were removing asbestos without proper attire and wearing only paper masks to prohibit the inhalation of dangerous fibers. An article in Medill Reports, a publication of Northwestern University, profiled the saga of the property on Sheridan Road on Chicago’s North Side, noting that community leaders believed this project could have been the “linchpin” for the revitalization of the area. Now they are concerned that the project may be stalled indefinitely. According to the article, demolition was fairly far along when inspectors came to the site and documented that workers were involved in improper asbestos removal . Asbestos was used in the past in hundreds of construction products including tiles , insulation , adhesives , and many others. Work was halted and, last week, Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a complaint against the building’s owners, Zidan Management Group, Inc. Two other defendants, Dubai, Inc. and Somerset Place Realty, LLC, were cited in the case as well and all will appear in court in a few weeks for a status hearing. The space on the corner of Argyle Street and North Sheridan Road was to become a renovated apartment building ringed with commercial spaces, the article notes. It’s a project that neighbors have been viewing with great anticipation, hoping that such a structure will attract businesses to the North Side of Chicago , a densely populated area that has seen its share of blight in year’s past. But last week, Somerset Place at 5009 Sheridan Rd. stood vacant with boarded windows and signs that read “Danger: Asbestos – Cancer and Lung Disease Hazard” duct-taped to the inside of the glass doors. Residents expressed concern about the project and the inspector’s findings, quite aware that asbestos exposure can cause cancer and other respiratory illnesses. “We don’t want that,” said resident Jason Hendrix, who says he passes the building every day on his way to work. “Especially when there’s an elementary school one block away.”