Asbestos in Schools
While it is readily recognized that dangerous asbestos can be found in workplaces like factories, power plants, and steel mills, and even in old homes, what most people often overlook is the fact that toxic asbestos is also present in our schools. As a matter of fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that the majority of the primary and secondary schools in America contain asbestos, primarily because most of them were built prior to 1980 before warnings about the danger of the material were issued.
When is Asbestos in Schools Dangerous?
While it's true that many schools were built using asbestos for insulation and durability purposes, that doesn't necessarily mean that all of our children are in danger of inhaling asbestos fibers. The mineral in its intact form does not present a problem. However, in older schools where asbestos becomes damaged for one reason or another, asbestos exposure could be a problem.
That's because damaged asbestos is considered "friable", which means that fibers from the material may make their way into the air and eventually be inhaled by those in the vicinity. Because of this, all schools should have a good asbestos management plan in place, which includes inspecting the entire building a few times a year for any damaged asbestos and addressing any problems immediately, which may include either encapsulating the material in question or paying a licensed abatement contractor to have it removed.
Where Can Asbestos Be Found?
Because asbestos had so many uses during the first three-quarters of the century, it was used in a number of products and in countless ways. At schools, the most common place to find asbestos is in the floor and ceiling tiles in classrooms, hallways, auditoriums, and more. These asbestos tiles can remain intact for many years, but once they start to crumble, they may result in the direct exposure of kids and staff to asbestos. It's easy to cause damage to both ceilings and floor tiles merely by performing everyday actions, like sliding a chair across the floor or hanging a piece of artwork from the ceiling.
Asbestos can also be found in school boiler rooms, where it was often used to wrap high-temperature boilers in order to reduce the risk of fire. Pipes may also be insulated with asbestos wraps. This makes a job at an old school especially risky for janitorial staff.
Some schools located near asbestos mines or near plants that produced asbestos-containing products may have also used asbestos "filler" on their playgrounds. Though we may find this absurd in this day and age, the schools that accepted the offer of asbestos filings from nearby plants or mines were -- at that time -- unaware of its dangers.
Keeping Kids Safe
If you're concerned about asbestos at your child's school, ask to see a copy of their management plan, and if you observe friable asbestos firsthand, tell school officials. If they do not solve the problem quickly and to your satisfaction, call your local or state Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has asbestos safeguards in place that demand compliance by schools.