ON FEBRUARY 25, 1997, EPA RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF DEMOLITION AND RENOVATION INDICATING THAT A DEMOLITION INVOLVING REMOVAL OF FRIABLE ASBESTOS WAS TO BE STARTED AT THE PITTSBURGH INT'L AIRPORT OLD TERMINAL BUILDING (THE FACILITY ) ON MARCH 3, 1997 AND COMPLETED BY JUNE 30, 1997. IN RESPONSE TO A CITIZEN COMPLAINT, AN EPA REPRESENTATIVE CONDUCTED AN INSPECTION OF THE FACILITY ON MARCH 20, 1997 AND OBSERVED SIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES OF FRIABLE ASBESTOS MATERIAL SCATTERED ABOUT VARIOUS AREAS OF THE FACILITY. ALL OF THE MATERIAL WAS DRY AND EXPOSED TO THE AIR. NONE OF THE MATERIAL HAD BEEN COLLECTED AND ENCLOSED IN LEAK-TIGHT BAGS. DURING A SUBSEQUENT APRIL 18, 1997 EPA INSPECTION, SIMILAR CONDITIONS WERE OBSERVED. EPA LEARNED THAT ALL FRIABLE ASBESTOS MATERIALS OBSERVED BY THE INSPECTOR TO HAVE BEEN DISTURBED OR REMOVED HAD BEEN SO DISTURBED OR REMOVED PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 17, 1997 BY SALVAGE CONTRACTORS WORKING UNDER BID CONTRACTS APPROVED BY THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION ( ACDA ). EPA LEARNED THAT ACDA HAD APPROVED THE SOLICTATION OF BIDS FROM LOCAL SALVAGE COMPANIES TO REMOVE FACILITY COMPONENTS SUCH AS COPPER PIPING, ALUMINUM WINDOW FRAMES, ESCALATORS, ETC. AT THE FACILITY FOR THEIR SCRAP VALUE PRIOR TO THE INITIATION OF SCHEDULED ASBESTOS ABATEMENT AND DEMOLITION ACTIVITIES. EPA FURTHER LEARNED THAT ACDA'S HIRED SUPERVISOR WAS LAX IN ITS SUPERVISIO