School Riddled with Asbestos
Article Added November 25th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
A cafeteria in California tested positive for excessive levels of asbestos this week after routine maintenance. School officials say there was no threat, although abatement was scheduled immediately.
Hundreds of elementary school students in Atwater, California got a pleasant surprise last week when they were told they would be eating lunch outside in the cool fall air. What they were not told is that the excursion was due to dangerous levels of asbestos found in the 50-year old cafeteria during maintenance checks. The San Joaquin Valley elementary building tested positive for “excessive” amounts of asbestos, which can be life threatening.
Though school officials maintained that there was no danger, the area was sealed off and abatement was scheduled immediately. The building will probably be reopened after the Thanksgiving holiday, but may stay closed longer if air tests deem the place a hazard. Asbestos exposure can lead to many types of respiratory problems including emphysema and mesothelioma. If asbestos is disturbed, it can break into airborne particles, which lodge in the lung tissue and kill it, resulting in the form of lung cancer known as mesothelioma. The students at the school will eat lunch in their classrooms until the cafeteria reopens.
Article Added November 25th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
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