School officials say site contained.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
Township health officials said no one was at risk when an asbestos cleanup at Brooks Crossing at Deans school took longer than expected.
The South Brunswick Family YMCA summer camp program went on as usual on the first floor of the building on July 17 when a scheduled cleanup the night before to remove asbestos-filled floor tiling on the second floor was extended because the removal crew found an unexpected sealant paper underneath the flooring, school officials said.
Although the Health Department said air samples taken at the school after the floor was removed were negative for asbestos contamination, the asbestos cleanup alarmed YMCA officials and one parent who said they were unaware of the cleanup and its delay, until they received a phone call from the township’s Department of Health on July 17.
"I wish they (the Board of Education) would’ve included us in the process earlier," YMCA Interim Director Steven Rodriguez said.
School officials said they did not notify the YMCA or parents about the asbestos removal because they were following state procedure to keep occupants safe and because construction was expected to take one night.
They said there are plans to better communicate with outside entities that use the district’s facilities to notify them of construction projects or necessary improvements.
"Things are in the works," Buildings and Grounds Director David Klein said Tuesday. "If some situation or occurrences arise that a contractor or other group will work on the buildings, the proper people will be notified."
The night of July 16, the school district arranged for Guardian Contractors of Freehold to remove asbestos-filled tiling on the second floor of the school building.
Crew members used a special heating machine to remove the floor. The crew later found a layer of tar paper below the flooring. The unexpected discovery extended the asbestos removal into the following night and the second floor stairwells remained sealed off by a layer of plastic on the morning of July 17 when parent David Zarish arrived at Deans school to drop his 5-year old son off for camp.
Mr. Zarish said he noticed the plastic covering the stairwell and an overturned sign stating that the area was an asbestos removal site.
Questioning whether it was safe for children to be in the building while this was going on, Mr. Zarish asked camp official at the school what was happening. Mr. Zarish said when camp officials could not answer his questions, he phoned the township Health Department and later Mr. Rodriguez.
Health Department officials looked into the matter and spoke with representatives at the school district, who explained the situation.
Health Department officials contacted Briggs and Associates from Bordentown to take air samplings of the area to ensure the children were safe.
According to township Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz, the tests came back negative and the area was safe.
School officials said they took the proper precautions to ensure the safety of the children and followed state procedures which state that a building experiencing an asbestos cleanup can be occupied by persons other than the licensed contractor as long as the contaminated area is isolated from the rest of the building, the contaminated area’s air pressure must measure below the air-pressure level outside of the contaminated site, minimizing the potential spread of potentially dangerous substances.
In addition, only certified asbestos removers can occupy the potential contamination site during removal and additional air sampling must be done to ensure no dangerous fibers reach other sites in the buildings.
The building was wiped down once removal was completed, according to Mr. Klein.
"We would never do anything that would harm anyone’s welfare, especially when it comes to the children and teachers," Mr. Klein said.
The Deans school asbestos removal is the only such removal in the district, Mr. Klein said. Both floors at the Indian Fields at Dayton and the first floor at Deans school have already had their floors replaced. A new, vinyl floor tiling is scheduled to be placed on the second floor at Deans school sometime the week of July 28, he said.
It is not uncommon for asbestos to be found in older buildings, like Deans school.
According to the National Safety Council’s Web site, asbestos can be found in building materials made before the 1970s, including pipe and furnace insulation materials; asbestos and cement shingles, siding, and roofing; millboard; resilient floor tiles; the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and floor tile adhesives; soundproofing or decorative material; patching and joint compound; fireproof gloves and stove-top pads; and automobile brake pads and linings, clutch facings, and gaskets."
If inhaled, asbestos fibers can accumulate in the lungs, causing increased risk to lung cancer and mesothemlioma a cancer of the chest and abdominal lining, www.nsc.org said.
Mr. Zarish said he was pleased to hear that no contaminants were found during the air samples and children were unharmed, but said it would have been nice if someone told parents about it before a letter from the YMCA was sent home Thursday afternoon.
"This all could have been avoided if people had told the parents," Mr. Zarish said.
Had notification gone out, YMCA officials or parents could have decided what was best for the children, he said.
"They (YMCA) could’ve decided to stay open or done day trips or something but the Y or the parents should have decided (if the children should be allowed in the building)," he said.