Asbestos Raises Cost of New York School Clean Up

A water main break and massive flood in a school building in Schenectady, New York has affected not one but three schools, and the presence of asbestos in the building has only made matters worse.

The incident occurred on November 4 when a break in the water main at the building sent thousands of gallons of water rushing throughout the Hostetter building. The multipurpose building is shared between administrative workers and three schools, including a Montessori nursery school, a YMCA program for kindergarteners, and a pre-school program for autistic children.

School board officials had initially hoped that repairs in the building could be completed within a few weeks, but according to spokesperson Christy Multer, that estimate has proven to be over-optimistic.

Now, Multer says, “The water problem has caused an asbestos problem. The floor tiles that were damaged during the flood are of the 1950s era….”

Asbestos was widely used during much of the twentieth century for its insulating and fire-resistant properties. However, while asbestos was considered something of a miracle substance during those decades of heavy use, its presence in buildings is now an increasingly prevalent problem.

Exposure to asbestos is known to cause several serious diseases, including a rare form of cancer called mesothelioma. This kind of cancer occurs when toxic asbestos fibers are inhaled and become lodged in the lining of the body’s organs. The most common type of this disease is pleural mesothelioma, which develops in the lining of the lungs.

Other areas where mesothelioma can develop include the heart and abdomen, which is known pericardial and peritoneal mesothelioma. In addition to mesothelioma, asbestos exposure can also cause lung cancer and asbestosis.

It’s important that all asbestos in the Hostetter building be removed before children and workers return to school. However, the toxicity of asbestos makes removing it time-consuming and very expensive. The disposal of asbestos is nearly three times more expensive compared to disposal of non-hazardous waste.

The extensive water damage and the presence of asbestos will likely require an investment of several million dollars as well as several months worth of work before it is safe for occupancy.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.