Last Wednesday, just prior to the start of the school year, a pipe broke and flooded the building of Hollister Junior High School in Missouri. When the floor tiles were being dried, they began to peel off and revealed and underlying layer of asbestos. The classes in the school were scheduled to begin last Thursday but now the students at the junior high school are attending their classes in the high school building due to the ongoing asbestos abatement process.
Asbestos glue was used to seal the tiles to the floor when the building was constructed. Horizon Environmental has been brought in for the removal of the asbestos. Horizon will be performing air and surface tests in order to make sure that removal of asbestos from the building is being done properly. Upon completion of these tests, new tiles will be installed and waxed.
The process will take over two weeks to complete. Superintendent Tim Taylor is of the view that the safety of the students is more important than the speed of the work being done. The high school building had added eight classrooms last year, so housing 200 students from the junior high school while the cleaning process is ongoing will not be a problem.
Clearing out all traces of asbestos is essential to ensure the health of the students. The chemical has been found to be responsible for diseases like mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. A person, once exposed to asbestos fibers is likely to have the fibers get accumulated and stuck in the lungs. The more asbestos one inhales (or ingests), the greater are his chances of contracting an asbestos-related illness. He may even develop mesothelioma, which is the worst form of asbestos-related diseases. Due to the long latency period of the disease, it is difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Once a person is diagnosed with the disease, the prognosis for survival is less than 2 years.
Asbestos is present in many buildings constructed in the 20th century, when asbestos was used in abundance. Since its risks came to the fore, the use of the toxic substance has been heavily restricted.