Asbestos Problems Force Albany Elementary School To Close For School Year

By Aaron Poehler

Published on July 25, 2008

The entire staff and student body of The Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology will be sent elsewhere when classes begin this year so that a serious asbestos problem can be corrected.

The 510 O'Brien Academy students will instead spend the 2008-2009 school year attending Philip Schuyler Elementary School, which is being used as "swing space" for students whose schools are undergoing renovation.

The problem at the Albany, New York school was first found July 9 when workers renovating the magnet school removed a window and uncovered a previously unknown asbestos ceiling. Superintendent Dr. Eva Joseph stated that no students or faculty members were ever exposed to the asbestos, and that maintaining safety at the school was the first priority. Air samples taken at the school reportedly showed no signs of elevated asbestos levels.

Absestos was formerly used in construction materials of many types before the ill effects of asbestos exposure became widely known. Aging school buildings can be particularly problematic, as aging facilities may expose and release degrading asbestos materials and children are especially susceptible to contracting asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma.

According to federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) guidelines, all schools must create and maintain asbestos management plans which include the locations of any asbestos within a structure, along with details of measures taken to prevent exposure.

 

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