Cable news channels are just like every other workplace. They are susceptible to power outages, bed bugs and yes, asbestos. Last week The Weather Channel had a close encounter with that third kind of issue in its Atlanta headquarters.
Weather is in the process of redesigning its studios and content center, and as part of the process some asbestos was removed from a small section of the center that was being renovated.
The smell of the solvent used to dissolve the asbestos bothered a few employees, according to a staffer. On the Facebook page for the “Abrams and Bettes” morning show, staffers had some fun, posting pictures of producers wearing face masks to minimize the smell (pictured above).
Weather says that the asbestos were of a kind that is not easily crumbled, and the solvent was rated a 1 out of 4 on the Material Safety Data Sheet (that is lower than most household cleaners). As a result, neither the asbestos nor cleaning process posed a health threat to staffers.