Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Amazing that despite all that is now widely known about asbestos, officials from an elementary school in Berkeley instructed a  music teacher to continue instruction in the classroom depsite the teacher's concern that friable asbestos was present and young students were being exposed.

Darwin Greenwell, one of the music teachers at Washington Elementary, first became concerned about asbestos contamination in late January, and supposedly alerted administration.  Greenwell was only one of the teachers using bungalow classroom 11, which served a multipurpose use of teaching music and cooking.  He reports that at the end of January the classroom carpet runners, which covered a linoleum floor, had been removed, exposing a seam that was in poor and deteriorated condition.

Greenwell had some knowledge of asbestos and was concerned for his own safety, as well as that of other teachers, the maintenance staff and, most importantly, the young students.  Asbestos is a known carcinogen that, when inhaled or ingested, can cause serious diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestos and lung cancer, decades later. 

Asbestos does not present a health hazard if the asbestos containing material is in good, intact condition or entirely encapsulated.  It does present a risk if it becomes exposed and is in “friable” condition (can be reduced to powder or crumbled by hand pressure when dry.)  Greenwell claims the tiles were in such condition and created dust as a result.

It was not until June 25, after classes had ended for the summer, that the California division of Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) inspected and confirmed that there were dangerous levels of asbestos in the classroom, and ordered it to be shut down until abatement could occur.

Abatement occurred in early July by an accredited abatement company, RGA Environmental, the company that the district uses to manage, remove and dispose of any asbestos at their schools.  Greenwell, who visited the site during the procedure and took pictures, claims that the removal procedure was improper, and asked for OSHA to confirm the room was free of all remaining asbestos.  Greenwell says that even after removal, dust was covering everything in the room and had not been properly cleaned.  Once he voiced his concerns (and showed his photos), further cleaning was performed and the room deemed safe to use.

What is amazing is that despite his notification in January, it took more than five months for the district to take action, meanwhile continuing to hold classes for young students.  Not only classes, but music and cooking – both of which are activities that bring air and items into the body, raising risk of exposure even higher.

If you were in this room, or your child, it will be important to monitor health for any symptoms of mesothelioma or other asbestos related disease.   Symptoms can take ten to more than forty years to appear, so although there will be no immediate signs, future awareness and monitoring will be necessary.   Catching mesothelioma and cancer in early stages is crucial to best treatment options and survival.