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Last fall, when Mardel Knight, Air and Radiation Management Division Chief was contacted by Mr. Yuji Emoto, of Japan, she thought only local jurisdictions were benefitting from her quarterly newsletter. Mr. Emoto, who is with the Shizuoka Prefecture Institute of Public Health and Environmental Science found MDE program information on our web site through by reading MDE’s Asbestos 101. Emoto and colleague, Koji Kawamura, the Air Management Administrator of Shizuoka Prefecture, planned an MDE visit to learn about our asbestos program. “I had no idea my little asbestos contractor newsletter would reach so many people,” said Ms. Knight. “It’s good to know we’re sharing useful information outside of our own backyard.”.
The Beauty of Global Information Sharing
Upon their February 7 arrival, the delegation visited MDE’s Montgomery Park site to receive an overall view of our asbestos program from Ms. Knight. Gary Urban, a consultant from Aerosol Monitoring and Analysis, Inc. provided information on consultant responsibility when dealing with asbestos. This was followed by a visit to a local licensed asbestos contractor for hands-on advice about asbestos removal equipment, and a visit to a building with an ongoing project in various stages of asbestos abatement.
The delegation then visted Ferndale Elementary School in Ferndale. Tom Leary, head of the Anne Arundel Schools’ Asbestos Program, gave a tour of a building that would soon require extensive renovation This was followed by an office visit to look at asbestos management plans and to learn more about asbestos in schools.
Maryland is a Model When Remodeling
Mr. Emoto and Mr. Kawamura, concluded that one of the most important things they learned from this trip is how to establish a contractor licensing program in Japan. At this time, the only requirement for any contractor is to obtain a permit to demolish a building. Currently Japan has no implemented programs for asbestos management in Japanese schools. With no training programs to stop contractors from risking public exposure to asbestos, the delegation set off to start a contractor licensing program to protect the citizens of Shizuoka prefecture from asbestos mismanagement.
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