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Asbestos is being removed from the old Coupeville High School building. The work will continue for the next couple of weeks.
The school was expecting the removal of the carcinogen which was scheduled into the building demolition when the material was found out last year.
Gary Goltz, construction manager for the Coupeville School District said that they were aware of the asbestos presence in the building 12 months before.
Asbestos had been found in the school’s floor tile and underneath the building. According to Goltz,
Goltz said the material underneath the building is more dubious since asbestos has fallen off the building’s pipes and mixed in with the soil. For this reason, the soild should be removed first to proceed further with the building demolition.
Goltz said that the removal of the malignant substance would not cause a delay in the timetable of building demolition.
"The $180,000 cost for asbestos abatement was approved in August 2006," Goltz said. He said that the school district did a survey of the rundown high school during spring break last year.
Asbestos is the name given to a number of naturally occurring, fibrous silicate minerals mined for their useful properties such as thermal insulation, chemical and thermal stability, and high tensile strength. Exposure to airborne friable asbestos may result in a potential health risk because persons breathing the air may breathe in asbestos fibers. Continued exposure can increase the amount of fibers that remain in the lung. Fibers embedded in lung tissue over time may cause serious lung diseases including: asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. Asbestos was a common building material from 1945 until 1975 and was used in wall and ceiling panels, insulation and lagging. Although hundreds of new schools have been built in recent years there are still significant numbers of older buildings which were constructed when the danger of asbestos was not fully known.
The asbestos removal was started last week. It is expected to be completed by the middle of July. Demotion of the building can be continued only after this.
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