Asbestos
only unsafe when renovating
By Terran C. Odell
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
While asbestos is present in the majority of the buildings at Cal State Long
Beach, campus officials said its presence is not a cause for concern.
Every year, Richard Johnson, associate director of Environmental Heath and Safety
for Safety and Risk Management, inspects the campus. From this inspection, a
report that shows where asbestos has been found is published and distributed
to all employees of the university.
“
We want [employees] to be aware of where they could potentially encounter
asbestos,” Quirk said.
According to Director of Facilities Management Robert Quirk, asbestos is not
dangerous when it is left undisturbed. For the campus community, Quirk said asbestos
poses no threat.
“
Students would not ever be put in a position to come in contact with the asbestos
on this campus,” Quirk said.
There are dangers, however, when renovations of campus buildings are necessary,
requiring the transportation or removal of asbestos, Quirk said.
Johnson said asbestos is an incredible material that is virtually indestructible.
The majority of the asbestos on campus can be found in tile and tile filler,
but can also be found in fireproofing material, acoustical applications, certain
piping and heating elements, and roofing material, Johnson and Quirk explained.
Over half of the campus was built before 1975, when the use of asbestos was common,
Quirk said. Among other reasons, asbestos was used in buildings as a fire retardant
and an insulator.
After asbestos was first identified as a carcinogen in the 1970s, its wide use
decreased in the United States. Health risks are present whenever dealing with
asbestos.
“
Asbestos is a dangerous material and to deal with it you need the appropriate
attention,” Johnson said.
Johnson said asbestos is especially dangerous when it has been reduced to a fine
powder. If someone were to come in contact with asbestos, the negative health
effects would not typically be seen for 15 to 20 years.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, asbestos can
cause a wide variety of respiratory problems, including lung cancer. Johnson
also said being exposed to asbestos will not necessarily cause cancer, but chances
are increased five times for those who work with it.
Because of these dangers, compliance with California Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (Cal-OSHA), federal and state regulations are strictly
adhered to at CSULB, Johnson said.
“
We’re very particular about compliance,” Johnson said.
In addition, Safety and Risk Management has published a document called the Asbestos
Management Plan. This document outlines the exact procedures for dealing with
asbestos on campus. During renovations where the presence of asbestos is known,
special precautions are taken and a variety of notices are posted to ensure proper
abatement.
Quirk said renovations in which asbestos is involved are contracted out to a
certified asbestos removal company.
During renovating, Quirk said, the presence
of asbestos is never assumed.
“
We always test if we’re not sure,” Quirk said.
According to Johnson, removed asbestos is taken by the certified removal company
to a special disposal site. The transportation of the dangerous material is highly
regulated. Johnson said the asbestos is double-bagged, vacuum sealed and each
bag can be no more than 30 pounds.
After a renovation has been completed, an industrial hygienist comes to make
sure the air is uncontaminated before any students or faculty return to the building.
Johnson said despite the dangers present, there has never been a case of exposure
to asbestos at CSULB.
Dealing with asbestos is costly, Quirk said, citing that the price of a project
can easily be doubled when asbestos is involved.
“
It can really add an extra dimension to a project,” Quirk said. But despite
the added costs, “It’s really doing the right thing.”
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