Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Asbestos floor tiles have been discovered in an elementary school in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania according to documents released by the school board earlier this month.  The tiles were discovered during a routine inspection of a wing of the school constructed in the 1960s. 

Inspections of the school site were being performed in preparation for an upcoming renovation project that has already been budgeted at $16 million.  Over 16,000 tiles in that one section of the school have been found to contain unsafe levels of asbestos.  The discovery of the hazardous carcinogen may delay the renovation project and will certainly add to the cost.  Some estimates put the added cost in the “tens of thousands” of dollars.

Asbestos was commonly added to many building materials over the years because of its strength and fire resistance.  Many schools built before the 1980s are running into the issue of either fully encapsulating or removing asbestos containing materials as they prepare to renovate older buildings or sections of buildings. 

While the EPA recognizes asbestos as a carcinogen and the cause of deadly lung diseases such as mesothelioma, the organization recommends that if building materials containing asbestos are found to be in good shape (not deteriorated with time and wear) that they remain in place.  However, the construction scheduled to occur at the Lansdowne Elementary School would have damaged the tiles, therefore their safe removal is a necessity. Asbestos poses the biggest health hazard when materials are disturbed and fibers become airborne, making the risk of inhalation or ingestion high.

The school board contracted Delaware based Sussex Environmental Health Consultants to investigate the issue and prepare a plan for the abatement of the asbestos.  Asbestos was discovered in the flooring materials during inspection but for some reason the ceiling tiles, which also contain asbestos, were overlooked.  Susan White, president of the company said that the discovery of the ceiling tiles should have been made earlier and, if it had, the abatement “could have been worked into the initial renovation budget.”

To ensure that students, staff, and construction workers employed for the remodeling project are not put in harm’s way, the sections of the schools containing asbestos tiles will have to be cordoned off with double air locks.  The tiles will then be removed into sealed containers and transported to a licensed disposal facility.  All debris left over from the remove will have to be removed as well and the air quality will be tested before the building is deemed safe for human habitation once again. 

Even small amounts of asbestos can cause mesothelioma if the fibers become airborne.  Once inhaled or ingested the fibers stab into the soft internal tissues and the body’s own defense mechanisms begin to isolate them by building fibrotic clusters around them.  These clusters can become cancerous over time and, unfortunately, mesothelioma is 100% lethal.