Asbestos Disrupts Schools and Universities in Several States

Asbestos Exposure & Bans

Written by Travis Rodgers | Edited by Amy Edel

Schools and universities in several states are dealing with asbestos during building repairs and renovation projects. UNC-Chapel Hill in North Carolina delayed the reopening of part of its Phillips Hall while Watertown High School in New York closed 4 rooms after a teacher discovered the presence of the toxic mineral in a classroom.

These incidents occurred as other schools are preparing this fall for asbestos abatement work. Georgetown University recently announced an upcoming project in one of its academic buildings, while an Illinois school district is planning asbestos removal as part of a larger elementary school renovation.

Asbestos in schools remains a problem because contractors used it in floor tiles, insulation, pipe coverings, plaster and other construction materials before the 1980s. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says asbestos products that are intact may not need removal. However, wear and tear, renovations or other damage to asbestos materials can release fibers into the air, putting people at risk for asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma and can also cause lung cancer and laryngeal cancer. There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure, and the risk of developing disease increases with greater exposure. That risk doesn’t mean everyone who enters a building containing asbestos will develop an asbestos-related disease. These diseases generally have long latency periods, often taking years or decades to develop after exposure.

Watertown Declares Asbestos Cleanup an Emergency

Watertown High School in New York closed 3 classrooms and an office after a teacher found asbestos in a classroom in late September. Superintendent Larry Schmiegel said the district relocated students and staff while asbestos abatement experts, including an asbestos management planner and environmental consultants, inspected the building.

The district initially said the 4 rooms would remain closed until mitigation work was complete and testing cleared them for use. The Watertown Education Association also told its members that the district was treating plaster walls as potentially asbestos-containing while it investigated the issue.

On Sept. 30, the Watertown City School Board declared the asbestos problem an emergency and authorized up to $250,000 for the work. The district also plans preventive work in additional classrooms before asbestos-containing material becomes damaged or disturbed.

Asbestos Delays UNC Phillips Hall Renovation

UNC-Chapel Hill has extended renovations at Phillips Hall after inspections identified asbestos materials in several parts of the building. The university had expected students and faculty to return to renovated areas in January 2027, but asbestos removal pushed the expected completion into spring 2027.

A 2024 inspection connected with the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrade found friable asbestos, which means it can be crumbled or broken easily and is more likely to release fibers into the air. The asbestos was found in pipe-insulation elbows inside HVAC closets on the first, second and third floors.

Inspectors also identified non-friable asbestos, which is more firmly bound in the material and less likely to release asbestos fibers unless it’s damaged, cut or disturbed. This was found in several materials, including a countertop, rooftop components and a pipe leading to a satellite dish.

UNC told The Daily Tar Heel that licensed professionals are handling the removal and that barriers separate construction areas from occupied sections of Phillips Hall. The university also said contractors conduct air testing during the work and maintained that people outside the renovation area face no danger.

Older inspection records cited in the report found asbestos insulation in additional areas of Phillips Hall. UNC’s campus asbestos program requires contractors to survey areas before repair or renovation work that could disturb asbestos-containing materials. If they find asbestos, contractors must follow regulated abatement procedures.

Some students and faculty told The Daily Tar Heel they didn’t know asbestos was present in Phillips Hall. First-year student Jackson Wemhoff said he attended class in Phillips Hall without knowing asbestos was present.

State of Asbestos in Schools

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Other Schools Move Forward With Asbestos Removal

Georgetown University announced Sept. 23 that it plans asbestos-containing material abatement in the basement of White-Gravenor Hall beginning Oct. 23. The university says contractors will seal the work area and monitor it throughout the project. Georgetown had already announced separate asbestos abatement for the third floor of White-Gravenor Hall earlier in September.

In Illinois, Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 is also moving forward with renovation planning at Hamel Elementary School. The district previously identified asbestos abatement as one of the top priorities staff raised for the building, along with a gym addition and improvements to employee spaces.

At its Sept. 28 meeting, the district board authorized negotiations with an architectural firm for the Hamel project. Current plans call for asbestos abatement to begin next summer and continue across 2 summers as part of the larger renovation.

These projects follow other recent asbestos problems in schools. In August, the School District of Philadelphia relocated more than 400 students and 90 staff members after a contractor disturbed asbestos at Kensington High School.

Federal Law Requires Schools to Monitor Asbestos

The EPA requires public school districts and nonprofit private schools to inspect buildings for asbestos under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. Schools with known or assumed asbestos must also conduct reinspections every 3 years and surveillance every 6 months.

Schools must maintain asbestos management plans that document where asbestos is located and what the school has done to repair, contain or remove it. Parents, teachers and school employees can request access to these plans and schools must provide annual notice about their availability and asbestos-related actions.

Federal rules don’t require schools to remove every asbestos product they find. The EPA says managing asbestos in place can be appropriate when the material remains in good condition and is unlikely to be disturbed.

Renovation work can change that. Cutting, drilling, removing walls or working around old insulation can disturb asbestos-containing materials, which is why schools conduct asbestos surveys before construction and use trained professionals when abatement becomes necessary.