A Virginia woman forced out of her apartment due to asbestos abatement issues is now taking legal action to enforce her lease, after contractors found asbestos during flooring work following a water leak.
Christine Bonavita of Norfolk, Virginia, and her two children have been unable to access their apartment in Norfolk’s Pembroke Towers for over two weeks, after contractors notified her that they were performing asbestos abatement in her apartment.
Bonavita told local reporters that she had never received any notification from the property owners about any asbestos-containing material in her apartment, and she still has no knowledge of when she will be able to return to her home.
“I’m not just advocating for myself, I’m advocating for the health and safety of every single tenant that lives inside Pembroke Towers,” Bonavita said. “My fellow tenants and I, we deserve a safe and habitable home, and we don’t currently have that.”
More on Christine Bonavita’s Asbestos Claim
In a statement, the management of Pembroke Towers admitted that asbestos had been discovered in flooring tiles during a previous remodeling project and had been successfully remediated, subsequently passing city clearance procedures.
The building was built in 1965, during a period where asbestos was still widely in use across all facets of the construction sector, owing to the mineral’s excellent properties as insulation and heat retardant. Asbestos exposure is the only known link to the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma.
Bonavita, who had previously spent much of her three years living in the property battling over repeated leak issues, suffered severe damage in September after a leak filled her home with hundreds of gallons of water. On October 4, she learned that asbestos abatement was being performed in her unit, and brief visits into her apartment have shown extensive disarray and damage.
Bonavita said that she still has not received a timeline for when she can return to her home. Now, she has filed a tenant’s assertion in local court seeking to reassert her rights to her domicile, which now sits with red tape reading “asbestos” over the door.
Asbestos Risk in Flooring Tiles
Bonavita’s experience shows that legacy asbestos exposure is still a risk for people living in homes or buildings built before the 1980s, when asbestos was widely phased out of use in new construction.
From the 1960s through the early 1980s, asbestos was often used in flooring material, specifically adhesives used to install ceramic tile and many other types of flooring. “Black asbestos mastic” was a commonly used adhesive during this time.
Asbestos was also widely used in vinyl flooring that could be found almost anywhere during that time period. Asbestos was added during the manufacturing process in order to bolster the vinyl’s durability, leading to risk of asbestos fibers becoming airborne if the flooring was broken.
It’s important to know the health risks associated with asbestos and asbestos-containing materials. If you were exposed to asbestos and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, contact our registered nurse and patient advocate, Karen Ritter. She can help guide you through your diagnosis by connecting you with top-ranked cancer centers and experienced mesothelioma treatment specialists.
Sources & Author
- ‘I continue to fight for a safe home’ | Norfolk Pembroke Towers tenant speaks out after asbestos discovery. 13 News Now. Retrieved from https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/norfolk/i-continue-to-fight-for-a-safe-home-norfolk-pembroke-towers-tenant-speaks-out-after-asbestos-discovery/291-f4ed6369-6ba8-4844-a7eb-a580a7faa188. Accessed on 10/20/2026.
