Posted on January 30, 2021

Sadly, asbestos, the so-called “magic mineral,” is plaguing the idyllic town of Davidson just north of Charlotte, North Carolina. WFAE reporter David Boraks has produced an excellent 3-part series and documentary called “Asbestos Town” about legacy asbestos in Davidson, impact on the community, and mitigating environmental and structural exposure. 

Old factory complexes across North Carolina are finding new lives as shops or condos. In Davidson developers have been trying to transform the 130-year-old Linden Mill for years, but have had no success, due to the cancer-causing asbestos that is buried on the site. Linden Mill was originally a cotton mill turned asbestos factory. Between the cost of cleanup and the risk of stirring up asbestos, nobody has been willing to take on the job. WFAE reports that there is more than 2,000 tons of asbestos-contaminated soil on the site. 

You can listen to all three parts of “Asbestos Town” and the documentary at http://www.wfae.org/asbestostown, or individually here: 

  • WFAE Asbestos Town Part 1: Davidson’s Legacy Of Asbestos Contamination And Distrust by David Boraks https://bit.ly/3qQDpXt 
  • WFAE Asbestos Town Part 2:  Asbestos At The Mill And In The Black Neighborhood Around It by David Boraks https://bit.ly/3chRTf8 
  • WFAE Asbestos Town Part 3: Despite Asbestos, Can This Old Davidson Mill Be Redeveloped? by David Boraks http://bit.ly/3os12nE 
  • Sunday, January 31st at 6 p.m. ET  one-hour Asbestos Town special podcast documentary.

In addition, on Wednesday, January 27, I had the pleasure to join David as a guest on WFAE’s “Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins,” in a program about “Asbestos Town.”

David reports that when the mill was turned into an asbestos producer, it was a boon for Black workers, who had not previously been allowed to work at the cotton mill, but were employed at the factory. However, many workers developed deadly asbestos-caused diseases and ultimately lost their lives, leading to a deep sense of distrust among longtime residents. 

The mill is not the only problem in Davidson, however. Waste asbestos was once used as fill material in people’s yards and, consequently, legacy asbestos can be found scattered across the town in people’s driveways and lawns. 

Asbestos is a known carcinogen that kills nearly 40,000 Americans each year. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, and the dangers of the mineral have been known for decades. The United States continues to import and use asbestos, and legacy asbestos can be found in millions of homes, schools, and buildings nationwide. Like in Davidson, our air, soil and water can be contaminated by asbestos. 

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) invites you to join us for a virtual panel discussion on Monday, February 1, at 7 p.m.ET focused on the legacy asbestos, impact of asbestos on communities nationwide, the neglect of minority communities in asbestos prevention programs, and more. This conversation will be moderated by David Boraks, WFAE’s environmental reporter and host of “Asbestos Town,” a three-part series about asbestos in Davidson, North Carolina. 

Who: The panel will be moderated by David Boraks and will include:

  • Rusty Knox, Mayor of Davidson
  • Mark Miller, Developer
  • Linda Reinstein, President of Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

Register for the panel discussion  here. 

This series, documentary, and community discussion highlights the crucial need for an asbestos ban in the United States. ADAO urges Congress to immediately pass The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act, a bill with bipartisan support that would ban asbestos, study legacy asbestos, and require more robust asbestos reporting. 

We look forward to seeing you virtually on February1st!

Linda Reinstein
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