Albion, Idaho – Both asbestos and lead have been found at Albion Normal School, in Albion, Idaho. This story is somewhat different, however—the school has been closed since 1971. Albion Normal School originally opened in 1894, and is one of the state’s oldest schools.

Recent investigation by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality found that asbestos was present in four buildings on campus, and that both asbestos and lead were present in soil surrounding five buildings.

Even though the school is no longer in use, the asbestos and lead still present a health hazard. A campus museum is present on the site, and social events and track meets have been held there. Some campus buildings have been broken into several times. All of these activities might present health risks to people in or near the buildings, due to the presence of asbestos and lead.

According to the DEQ report, “Based on known concentrations, there is the potential for workers and those people visiting the site to be exposed to lead from dust.”

The report also speculates on how lead (which was likely present in old paint and roofing materials) may have gotten outside. It suggests that people tracked the lead to outside locations, or that rain run-off from the roof leaked into surrounding soil. Asbestos was used in insulation in several of the school’s buildings.

Exposure to lead can cause developmental and learning disabilities. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause mesothelioma, a highly aggressive type of cancer that usually develops in the lining of the lungs up to six decades after exposure to inhalable asbestos.

The school was brought from the city last year, and is now owned by two developers, Troy and Kent Mortensen. The new owners are working with the DEQ to remove the contaminating asbestos and lead and make the school safe for use again. Some asbestos has already been removed from the buildings, and the lead is scheduled to be removed by July.

According to owner Kent Mortensen, “Just the general cleanup of debris is pretty much done. By the first part of summer, all the material that is a hazardous substance will be removed.”

The new owners of the school plan to develop it into a “retreat” for corporate getaways, family reunions, and similar events. DEQ’s Brownfields Revitalization provided grant money to help pay for the costs of cleaning up the site. The site owners may be reimbursed up to 70% of their cleanup costs, which are estimated to total more than $44,000.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 2:33 pm and is filed under Asbestos Abatement, Idaho. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.