March 18, 2008 - Schools such as Asa Wood Elementary School in Libby, Montana, Bethel High School in Connecticut, and Mokelumne River School in Lodi, California have been in the news recently over asbestos-related issues. However, they’re by no means the only schools that have been having asbestos problems in the last few months.

While the schools of Libby definitely have more to be worried about, there are many other schools where asbestos has become a problem.

In the last couple of days alone, several schools have reported discovering deposits of asbestos-containing materials, or have published plans for management of existing asbestos materials.

Among them are Gibson City School in Gibson City, Illinois, Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Massachusetts, Harding High School in Warren, Ohio, Bancroft School in Swea City, Minnesota, and Main Street Middle School in Montpelier, Vermont.

Each of the schools is planning asbestos abatement activities to ensure the school remains safe for students. In some cases there are other problems, such as mold, making students and teachers sick.

In the case of Harding High School, the situation is somewhat different. Parts of the school are intended to be demolished, but asbestos abatement must be carried out before demolition can occur.

Abatement activities for these types of projects are typically expensive, and many schools are feeling the pinch. Even smaller projects can cost several thousand dollars. In the case of Mokelumne River School, for example, the cost of clean-up of a relatively small area was expected to reach $50,000. It’s not uncommon for the cost of larger asbestos abatement projects to run to several hundred thousand dollars.

Over the next several years increasing numbers of schools are likely to face asbestos problems. The mineral substance was widely used in construction materials from the 1940s to the 1980s, and those materials were used in both private and public buildings. Schools were certainly no exception, and unfortunately today’s students and school employees are paying the price for the enormously widespread use of asbestos in those five decades.

As these asbestos-containing materials age and deteriorate, needed repairs and renovations will uncover pockets of asbestos that need to be removed, potentially disrupting education for children in those schools. More importantly, health hazards are a very real possibility.

The EPA has taken steps to deal with the issue by requiring all schools that contain asbestos to formulate an asbestos management plan. The plan must indicate where in the school asbestos is located, as well as the condition of the asbestos-containing materials, and a description of the steps taken to prevent exposure from occurring. Parents of students who attend schools where asbestos is present can ask to see a copy of their school’s management plan at any time. School employees also have a right to view the plan.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, California, Connecticut. 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.