Remaining Ad Time Ad - 00:00

Long-awaited new information on 7 apartment complexes under asbestos investigation

Thrive at Park's Edge complex (formerly Pine Creek) on Chapman Drive in SE Colorado Springs, on which was evacuated in November.

By Julia Donovan

January 5, 2020 10:24 PM

Published January 5, 2020 10:37 PM

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is now confirming a significant asbestos spill at Thrive at Park's Edge (previously known as the Pine Creek apartments) which were evacuated in November.

But officials didn't specify whether the spill happened inside the units, so former residents' health concerns live on.

Asbestos is a building material in many walls, ceilings and tiles that's harmless untouched, but can cause lung cancer years down the line if its fibers get into the air.

Park's Edge residents are worried that's what happened in their homes, since they didn't see workers seal the place air-tight during renovations.

People at Thrive at the Incline (formerly Shannon Glen) which was also evacuated for precaution say the same, but the health department says it can't release any information about asbestos levels in the air at that location yet.

As for the other five complexes under investigation, the CDPHE is now giving the green light for residents to continue living there.

In a statement to KRDO, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said, "A certified asbestos consultant hired by property ownership inspected five of the apartment complexes of interest and determined that renovation activities did not disturb asbestos-containing material [and] determined that further asbestos sampling at the complexes was not necessary."

Those five complexes are listed below:

New Horizons/North 49 – 4975 El Camino Dr.
Cedar Creek/Thrive at Rockledge – 1030 S. Chelton Dr.
Timbers/Thrive at Slopeside – 2818 Airport Rd.
South Point/Thrive at the Point – 3815 Lakehurst Dr.
El Vecino/Thrive at Elevation – 1806 Monterey Rd.

Doctors say it’s impossible to tell if people who lived at the evacuated complexes will experience health effects without knowing exactly how much asbestos they were exposed to.

The health department says it can’t release the testing results containing that information right now, saying it could jeopardize their investigation. We’ll let you know as soon as they do.