Kansas - A building at Kansas State University has unexpectedly been closed down after concerns that a contractor may have released asbestos fibers into the air.

Leasure Hall, one of the oldest buildings at the university, was built in 1908 and houses the American Ethnic Studies program, and the Women’s Studies program. Classes have been moved until the building has been proven safe for entry.

Public Safety Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Broccolo ordered that building closed after the potential asbestos exposure was discovered, and says the building should be reopened by the middle of the week.

The concern over asbestos exposure was raised after a contractor carried out some work in Leasure Hall in preparation for installation of an elevator shaft. Employees working in the building were drilling holes in a wall while carrying out exploratory work, and due to the possible presence of asbestos in some of the construction materials in the walls, it’s possible that asbestos fibers were released into the air.

Asbestos was commonly used in construction materials during the twentieth century, particularly between the 1940s and 1980s. Even though Leasure Hall was built well outside the years of peak use of asbestos in America, it’s likely that any repairs carried out during those years used asbestos construction materials of some kind.

Asbestos was widely used because it is cheap, light, durable, and fire proof. However, it is also a known human carcinogen, and inhalation of relatively small amounts of asbestos fibers can cause a lethal cancer called mesothelioma, which usually develops in the lining of the lungs.

Samples of the air from the work area in Leasure Hall have been taken and sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Clean-up of the area has already begun and is expected to be finished quickly. Another air sample will be taken once clean-up has been completed, and the building will be reopened if the test confirms that the air quality it safe for students and staff to reenter.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Kansas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.