Tulsa School Demolition for Potential Asbestos Begins
A Tulsa school that was known to have traces of asbestos will be demolished by specialists after it was gutted by a fire. It is with a grant from the government that public schools in Oklahoma will have the financial resources to be inspected for the dangerous of the naturally occurring fibrous materials.
Asbestos fibres – a single fibre is believed to cause mesothelioma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
An accidental fire destroyed the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences on October 5th, thus prompting its demolition a few days later. It will require an alternate route to that of bulldozers and wrecking balls. A team of professionals will have to inspect the site for asbestos first – all which will be made possible by the government grant.
Asbestos according to the EPA is generic name given to various naturally occurring fibrous materials with high tensile strength that have the ability to be woven. These materials are favored for their resistance to heat and most chemicals. It is used widely for various manufactured goods such as shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper and cement products, textiles, coatings, and friction products such as automobile clutch, brake and transmission parts.
According to David McAfee, there is asbestos pipe insulation at the school and during the fire most of it was undamaged “the asbestos pipe insulation is in the same condition it was when the kids were going to school here, it’s not in a damaged condition.” A team will have the difficult job of collecting all of the material where a few pipes did fall and will have to consider it contaminated.
It is estimated that the whole demolition will take approximately forty days.
Schools are allowed to have asbestos products but have strict governing guidelines for the amount allowed compared to other buildings.
This year, funding for the inspection program in Oklahoma was awarded a grant of a little more than $242,000 by the EPA. The state was relieved to receive the increase considering that the funding was cut back sharply the previous year.
Liz McNeill, spokeswoman for the State Department of Labor, told KRMG that the agency inspects 100 Oklahoma schools each year and finds a significant amount of possible violations of the standards that range between 30 and 60 percent of the schools they inspect. Most of the time, the schools are unaware of the problem. And once they know, they typically comply 100 percent with the guidelines and getting the problem resolved.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, which is often a result of exposure to asbestos. It is found in the thin lining of the lung, chest, abdomen and heart, and can be deadly to humans. If you or someone you know were victims of asbestos exposure and got mesothelioma, contact our mesothelioma lawyers today!
Reviewed by Chris H. in 2012.