Asbestos Removed From Muss Hall

The actual task of removing the hazardous materials from the building took approximately two months to complete. Since asbestos only poses a serious health risk when airborne, the university decided to initiate the job after students vacated for summer recess.

The asbestos removal proved a complex task that required various workers to play critical roles in ensuring that the job was carried out in a safe and efficient manner. The University employs an in-house licensed asbestos removal staff; however, due to the magnitude of this particular cleanup an independent company was contracted to carry out the bulk of the work. A third company monitored the asbestos levels in the air to provide maximum safety for all involved.

Asbestos fiber was formerly used to insulate hot water and heating pipes in older buildings. Far superior to its flammable plastic and foam replacements, asbestos became obsolete only when it was found to pose health risks when air-born. The problem facing many buildings is that asbestos was initially used to insulate pipes that are now used for air-handling systems. This can potentially place the hazardous materials directly into the air supply. University officials have assured that this specific problem does not exist in the Main Building because the air handling systems are more modern and do not rely on the asbestos insulated piping.

When removing asbestos from the Main Building, Facilities Management attempted to locate the most obvious places asbestos was used, tracing heating and hot water pipes throughout the building.

Although Jeffery Socol, Associate Director of Facilities Management, refused to speak with The Commentator, sources within the administration have confirmed that a flood in the basement of the Main Building came as a result of the asbestos project. Apparently, when removing asbestos from a pipe underneath the stage in Lamport Auditorium, the pipe burst causing the flood. An unnamed administrative source added that the break came as a result of carelessness on the part of the contracted company, and a suit has been filed against them for the damages incurred by the flooding. However, there is no current indication that the contractor was negligent in the proper removal of all known asbestos within the building.

Although the project has been completed and no other "major" asbestos removal jobs are planned for the Main Building, it is presumed that some of the fiber still remains hidden within the walls. "The process might never be completely finished," said Jeffery Rosengarten, Director of Supporting Service Administration, "if it so happens that more asbestos is located, the university has a licensed team capable of dealing with the situation in a safe, timely fashion."