Asbestos not  risk on campus 

Though 62 campus buildings contain asbestos, the university will not be removing the material immediately because the community is not at risk, a campus official said Wednesday.

"The asbestos in building materials on campus poses little or almost no danger to the people on campus," said Robert Johnson, associate director of Safety and Risk Management, which handles job and environmental safety at Cal State Long Beach.

Faculty and staff were notified of the substance's presence in a January report because of Health and Safety Code requirement 25915, which says all employees must be notified of asbestos in buildings, Johnson said.

Asbestos, known for causing respiratory problems including lung cancer, is found in some tiles and drywall. The substance will cause no trouble because none is leaking from any buildings, Johnson said.

"If the asbestos material becomes airborne, there will be a health hazard," said Mitchell Yamada, a hazardous material expert for the Long Beach Health Department. "The health hazards that asbestos poses come only after long-term exposure to it, though."

Asbestos has been banned since 1978 as a building material, Johnson said. But there is no deadline for asbestos removal from campus buildings and no asbestos is scheduled to be removed in the next few weeks.

Because asbestos is mixed with building materials, it cannot be smelled or seen.

"Anyone who says they smell it has probably been smoking on a crack pipe," Johnson said.

Not all campus buildings have been tested and each building is tested when renovated, Johnson said.
"It's all over the place," Johnson said. "If you test for it, you'll find it."

Breathing in asbestos is like breathing in a plastic foam cup. The material would have to be crushed into a powder for it to be inhaled, he said.
Still, some students are wary of the substance's presence on campus.

"That makes me uncomfortable knowing how much time I've spent around it," said Annmarie Reed, graduate student of marriage and family therapy. "Hopefully, they'll do something to take care of it since they know it's dangerous."

Some are not so worried.

"If I had my preference, then that would be to have it removed, but it's got to be weighed against other factors like time," said Claude Goldenberg, professor of teacher education. "If it were a real health hazard, then it should be removed immediately."

Others just don't care.
"I'm not really concerned," said Michelle Hachiya, graduate student of liberal studies. "I guess it's kind of unsafe, but I guess if everybody else is here, I feel a little more safe."

Asbestos was removed from Education Building 2 three weeks ago, Johnson said. And some will be taken out of the Fine Arts buildings during their renovation.

Some of the buildings affected include: the Liberal Arts buildings, Education buildings 1 and 2 and the Fine Arts buildings.

Anyone finding asbestos-containing materials damaged should call Facilities Management at (562) 985-4357.