A countdown for starting the demolition of the Western Grocery Building may require some adjusting.

Sources told the Tribune that asbestos was found in the roof of the 110-year-old structure.

Asbestos is considered a hazardous air pollutant and waste that may cause various diseases including lung cancer if inhaled.

It needs special treatment in removing and dumping, which might result in adding more costs and altering the demolition timeline.

Over the past 48 hours, county officials have been occupied with gathering and sorting information about the findings and possible solutions.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” County Ad-ministrator Ron Gabrielsen said. “Any building of that age may use some asbestos. We just need to proceed with the demolition in the right way.”

According to Mainte-nance Manager Randy Jensen, the asbestos was detected in a bottom layer of the roof, covering the entire structure. Small amounts of asbestos were also identified in boiler insulation, and floor mastic, tiles and cement boards.

Jensen said the county would refer the discovery to Boarman Kroos Vogel Group, the engineering firm appointed by the county to oversee the project, and ask what options would be available to remove the asbestos.

“At this moment, we don’t know how this will affect the project,” Jensen said. “But I believe there is enough time to solve it without changing the demolition schedule.”

The county board accepted a contract for the demolition with Spinler Construc-tion at $197,000 last month. But the agreement does not include the removal of asbestos. The contract says the company will complete the demolition by the end of August.

Information the county has so far suggests that if the asbestos is non-friable, a non-licensed contractor can remove it during the demolition process, said Gabrielson. If the asbestos were friable, the county would be obligated to hire a licensed firm and remove all the asbestos prior to the demolition.

Minnesota Pollution Agency defines asbestos-containing materials that can be crushed or crumbled by hand pressure as friable, to which more strict regulations are applied.

The agency requires a contractor to wet asbestos-containing wastes and package them in leak-tight containers to transport. They are allowed to be disposed of only at a site approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The county was planning to use a landfill owned by the City of Albert Lea. But the site does not accept wastes including asbestos. It means the removal will result in more transport costs in addition to a higher charge for dumping.

Gabrielsen said the building must be torn down no matter what, because of potential security concerns and maintenance problems. Commission Chairman Dave Mullenbach emphasized that the board would deal with the issue properly, but for the moment it would wait for the administration to put together all neccesary information.