Closing school was correct response

From the BCCT.

Who is thinking the decision to close was WRONG? It was absolutely the right thing to do.

Official: Closing school was correct response
Asbestos might have been released when a worker breached a wall at Morrisville Middle/Senior High School. Testing later showed the school was safe.
By MANASEE WAGH

The Morrisville School District did the right thing by closing a school Tuesday, an official said Wednesday.

By making sure no asbestos was present in the air after a contractor accidentally drilled into an asbestos-containing wall, the school followed federal regulations, said borough code enforcement officer Robert Seward.

“We communicated with each other to make sure everything was done,” he said.

After discovering that asbestos may have escaped from behind a wall that had been breached by a worker, students in the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School were sent home until further tests by Environmental Connection of Trenton revealed no danger.

School was back on schedule Wednesday morning.

According to a report by the firm, all surface samples came back showing zero detection of asbestos. The 21 air samples taken at various locations throughout the high school revealed far lower asbestos levels than the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe clearance levels, said Richard Beach, the company’s vice president.

Licensed asbestos abatement contractor Bristol Environmental isolated and cleaned up the affected area Tuesday afternoon. The team performed “proactive” cleaning, including vacuuming areas adjacent to the work site with a special filter and wet-wiping surfaces, according to Environmental Connection’s report.

“However, in the future, renovations should be performed in such a manner as to eliminate impact to (asbestos-containing material),” the firm’s report concludes. It also advises using a licensed abatement contractor to perform future tasks that would impact any asbestos-containing material.

The report is posted on the district Web site at www.mv.org and is available for public viewing at the district business office, at 550 West Palmer Street in Morrisville, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said Tuesday.

Beach said he wants parents to know that federal regulations mandate that all school districts adhere to strict rules when it comes to dealing with asbestos, a hazardous substance linked to cancer.

“I found it somewhat hard to believe it’s been 21 years since the inception of the AHERA program and yet many parents are unaware that this program is out there and there are (asbestos) management plans for every school district throughout the country,” said Beach.

The federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1986 requires all school districts to perform periodic surveillance and inspection of known or suspected asbestos-containing building material. They also must provide yearly notification to parents, teachers and employee organizations about the district’s asbestos management plan and any asbestos abatement planned in a school.

Numerous old buildings contain the fibrous natural mineral, which was used as insulation for many years before its dangers were known. If microscopic particles become airborne, they can lodge in the lungs and cause cancer, although that is most common among people who have worked with the substance for an extended period.

“The thing with asbestos is that it’s fine as long as it’s not airborne,” Beach said.

Seward said, “The biggest worry you’d have to watch out for is your older boilers and things of that nature. Hot water pipes are wrapped with asbestos. You have to make sure they’re not flaking off.”

This summer, the high school is set to undergo boiler renovations. If asbestos is found, workers would have to encapsulate or remove it, following strict procedures, and transport it safely to a landfill, said Beach.

The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Yonson on Wednesday for comment.