Toxic Material in Michigan Gov.'s Home
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN Associated Press Writer, August 1, 2003
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - What started out as a renovation of the 45-year-old
governor's residence has turned into a search for toxic materials.
There's lead in the paint used for the interior trim, mercury in the
light switches and polychlorinated biphenyls - PCBs - in the ballast of some
of the light fixtures.
Asbestos has been found over the windows and it wraps the pipes in the
crawl space and basement, while black mold has formed along some of the
pipes and asbestos wrapping.
"These are the things that were there in the '50s. This has to get fixed,
so it has significantly added to the cost of renovating the house," Debbie
Dingell, who is directing the efforts of a private, nonprofit committee
overseeing the project, said Thursday.
The project could exceed $1 million, said Dingell, a Democratic National
Committee member and the wife of U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.
Renovation will include fixing the leaking roof, bringing the electrical
wiring and plumbing up to code, expanding the kitchen, upgrading the
security system and adding two bedrooms and private family room for Gov.
Jennifer Granholm, her husband and their three school-aged children.
At the moment, the governor is the only one living at the house. She
isn't staying in the house itself, but in a small room above the garage.
There's also a small bathroom for her to use. The garage is temporarily
housing the kitchen.
Her family is staying at the governor's residence on Mackinac Island for
most of the summer. Granholm generally spends Friday and Saturday night with
them before returning to Lansing.
The governor isn't worried about her safety amid the toxic materials
showing up at her new home, Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said.
Bob Godbold, environmental health director for the Ingham County Health
Department, said Thursday that many area homes built in the 1950s have
similar materials in them. Most don't pose a health threat, he said,
although lead-based paint can harm small children if it peels or flakes. He
said that's unlikely in the governor's home.
The 1950s-style ranch home in an upscale neighborhood just south of the
Grand River was donated to the state by trucking magnate Howard Sober in
1969.
Boyd said the governor is coping with the construction going on around
her.
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