Bethel, Connecticut– On Thursday March 7 2008 students of Bethel High School were sent home early following an incident in which a table top located in the school’s science lab was broken. The incident had occurred two days earlier, on Tuesday evening.

The table top was known to contain asbestos, a fire-retardant material that was commonly used in construction prior to the 1980s. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, both of which are incurable and ultimately lethal.

The incident occurred during an asbestos abatement project carried out by Eagle Environmental. Workers were removing asbestos materials from the school laboratory when the table top was broken.

Following the incident an air sample was initiated and clean-up work started immediately. The contaminated area was isolated and air filtration and wet removal procedures were carried out to reduce the contamination danger. Following clean-up procedures another air sample was taken.

The initial sample taken indicated an elevated asbestos level, however the sample taken following clean-up indicated that airborne asbestos levels had decreased to state DPH standards for sites undergoing asbestos abatement.

Both air samples were sent for further laboratory analysis, and the state DPH ordered the school closed until the results of both tests confirmed that asbestos concentrations were at safe levels.

School Superintendent Gary Chesley has said that school officials were not convinced that the elevated asbestos levels were the result of the table incident. Bethel High School will remain closed through Friday so that a larger area of the abatement site can be tested for air quality.

The state Department of Health will send a representative to oversee the air quality tests, and will review responses to the incident that occurred on Tuesday, including the delay between the incident occurring and the closure of the school.

The issue of asbestos in schools is likely to become an increasingly widespread problem. Asbestos was used in a variety of building materials between the 1940s and 1980s, due to the substance’s excellence as a fire-retardant, insulator, and acoustic barrier. As asbestos-containing materials age, repairs and renovations may cause disturbance to asbestos materials. These types of disturbances can potentially present a health hazard if proper procedures are not followed to limit exposure.

To deal with asbestos in schools, the EPA requires that all schools that contain asbestos maintain a management plan that details the location of asbestos, its condition, and the measures taken to prevent exposure. In schools where asbestos is present, parents and school employees can request to see a copy of the asbestos management plan at any time.

This is the second time in just over a month that the school’s routine has been disturbed by an asbestos-related incident. On February 6 students were sent home early following the exposure of asbestos-containing fireproofing materials. Workers who were renovating had accidentally opened a wall cavity and exposed the material. Air quality tests that were carried out following the incident were normal.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 9:29 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Connecticut. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.