School To Begin Own Testing For Asbestos -- MesoLink.org -- 01-31-06

Liberty High School is to begin its own testing for pollutants such as mold and asbestos following a teacher’s concerns that her students – as well as other teachers – may be in danger of being exposed to these contaminants. The teacher’s class has now been moved to a portable building, following testing that showed moderately high levels of contamination.

The teacher, Tanya Smith, states that she suffered an illness just a month ago, which she believes was a result of exposure to contaminated air. Smith also pointed out that works carried out have increased the risk of asbestos exposure from tiling in the school.

Speaking at a board meeting earlier in the week, Smith said: "We all share the common goal of protecting the health of our students." She also stated in an email that most of the staff were aware that the tiling contained asbestos, which is non-friable and can become airborne when disturbed.

She also took part of a tile to a lab for testing and stated that it showed five percent asbestos, a potentially harmful level according to data. Smith was concerned that staff using the room for copying and for the collection of books could have been exposed when work and tile cutting was taking place there.