Occupied residence

Better to be safe than sorry is the thinking behind this I guess, but surely the topsoil could be removed to make the area safe again?

Interesting series of pics.

Yes, it doesn't seem insurmountable. It's not as if It was nuclear waste or a gasoline/oil dump. I would be happy live there. I think I'll ask if I can have one of these houses! Ha!

It's a problem selling any home built before about 1960 in the U.S. Most older heating systems are in asbestos-wrapped vents and many ceilings have asbestos tiles. If you leave it alone, there's no problem, but when you try to take it out, it creates dust that results in asbestos contamination. Removal thus creates more problems than just letting it be. So, if you're selling a house, you have to work with a realtor who is good at figuring out how to screen out those people who are going to get panicky. It's another one of those situations where a very small likelihood of a health consequence results in some people going over the top.