Fitchburg, Massachusetts school officials admit asbestos hazards

School officials ‘Fess Up' to Asbestos Hazard

Contrary to an earlier Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA, 1986) report, which stated there was no asbestos in the school, floor tiles removed from the gymnasium at the South Street Elementary School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts did contain at least two percent asbestos, according to the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection. According to AHERA regulations, some form of action is mandated if area asbestos levels exceed one percent.

The problem began in 2006, when a Department of Public Health report recommended removal of the floor tiles. At that time, a health and safety task force composed of school board members and the public was created to monitor the removal. In spite of that, it wasn't until several days after the tiles were removed that the task force - which had based its hazard assessment on material data safety sheets provided with the original tile - learned of the asbestos content.

In fact, no one would have known if the Mass. EPA hadn't tested, and School Superintendent Andre Ravenelle has since called for retesting all the other schools in the district as well, to re-evaluate the contamination risk and update AHERA reports. Ravenelle also called for the School Committee to conduct a roundtable discussion at its January 5th meeting to address the public's ongoing concerns.

The Environmental Protection Agency has reassured parents and students that the removed floor tiles represent only a moderate risk, since they were removed intact. According to their statement, asbestos only becomes a problem when it is broken into small pieces, which allows the asbestos fibers to escape and be inhaled.

Once in the lungs, asbestos can lead to several complications, the most lethal of which is mesothelioma - a form of almost incurable lung cancer in which lesions (created by asbestos fibers) become malignant. Mesothelioma can take decades to manifest but, once diagnosed, usually leads to death within two years.

South Street Elementary School Principal William Terrill has so far declined to comment, but Ravenelle assured parents that district custodians and maintenance personnel have all attended seminars on the correct handling and removal of hazardous substances, including asbestos.

School Committee member Sally Cragin, who said the district initially received incorrect information about the composition of the floor tiles, has called the South Street School's response "a model for other agencies".

Asbestos abatement proposals are underway, but future projects at South Street - which include roof and heating system repairs - will hopefully be scrutinized carefully before beginning, since both older roofing tiles and heating system insulation contain asbestos.

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