Kristen Griffin brings a fresh perspective to news and blog content for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Bio »
August 14, 2013
Binghamton, New York - With weeks away to the beginning of the new school year, school officials are scrambling to safely remove asbestos discovered in the Calvin Coolidge Elementary School. Found in a crawl space in the basement level of the facility, the area contaminated with asbestos was quickly sealed off to prevent any further exposure risks.
Summer programs underway at the elementary school were relocated to another facility after the initial asbestos discovery was made. After the area was sealed off, and staff and students moved, the indoor air quality tests were performed – as a health and safety standard – to determine the extent of the contamination. After results pointed to elevated levels of asbestos in the air in the elementary school, district officials officially closed the school until the asbestos is removed.
To ensure that Calvin Coolidge Elementary School is prepared to receive students for the new school year, the Board of Education moved swiftly to approve a resolution to abate the asbestos. In so doing, the Board of Education circumnavigated the need to put the asbestos abatement project out for bid, and simply hire a professional contractor directly.
In the event the asbestos abatement project cannot be completed by the start of the new school year, district officials are actively looking for other locations to hold classes.
Also being investigated are what the standard practices are for dealing with those staff and students who may have been exposed to the asbestos. At this time, it is not known if the asbestos posed any immediate health threat.
Though banned from use in commercial and manufacturing settings, asbestos can be commonly found in buildings built in the mid-twentieth century. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral generally used in insulating or heat protection capacities, and is often found in plumbing, and heating and cooling materials.
Asbestos is not inherently dangerous; only when asbestos is disturbed and small particles are allowed to contaminate the air can the material become lethal. Asbestos exposure is the leading cause of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that can attack the delicate lining or pleura surrounding the heart, lungs or abdominal cavity. Pleural mesothelioma, in which the pleura of the lungs is affected, is the most commonly diagnosed form of mesothelioma cancer. Breathing in contaminated air allows the small asbestos particles to embed into the lung tissue.
Share your thoughts with us on Facebook
0 comments:
Post a Comment