Even after the Patrick Arbelo incident and the anthrax scare in the mailroom last semester, many students said they feel safe at Fairfield University. When asked about a more silent danger, asbestos, many students seemed puzzled.
“If asbestos begins to come off of a structure it is dangerous,” said Joe Bouchard, Fairfield University Fire Marshall. Also he made it very clear that there is no asbestos problem at Fairfield University.
The only place on Fairfield University’s campus that contains spray-on asbestos is Bannow Hall, says Bouchard. There is no detectable danger, he says, but to be proactive and prevent any future problems, spray-on asbestos is being removed as part of renovations this summer.
In small cases of asbestos, such as an area covering three to four cubic feet, Fairfield University has formed an Asbestos Response Team that consists of the campus Health and Safety group, Campus Planning and Design, and the Heat and Energy Management team who remove the Asbestos.
When the situation gets too large for the Fairfield University response team to handle the University calls Dave Goldstein, an engineering consultant who specializes in air monitoring. Goldstein checks the levels of asbestos with the proper equipment, resembling the scientist who took ET away. With precision, they chip the spray-on Asbestos off the structure and measure the amount of asbestos in the area.
“The last 10 years we have made it a priority in making sure we rid Fairfield University of asbestos,” said Bouchard.
Many buildings at Fairfield University were built around 1975 and contained asbestos in the building structure, especially the dorms. Bouchard said, “We have alleviated any spray on Asbestos present in the Quad during dorm renovations.”
What do students think of the asbestos problem?
“Asbestos is a white substance in old buildings that could kill you,” said Anjonique Baker ’05.
She was close. Asbestos is a natural substance that is mined for the purpose of slowing the burning of steel in case of a fire. Spraying asbestos onto steel frames was believed to be the most effective way to avoid the spread of fire prior to 1975.
The danger of asbestos went undetected for a long time because the government chose to use the cheaper less effective way to measure the content in air. Once that process was changed it became known that when asbestos peels it gets into lungs, causing deterioration.
Asbestos is also found in floor tiles, pipe wrap and structural support. These cases of asbestos however, are not as dangerous as spray-on asbestos. However, when this type of asbestos begins to peel it has to be removed before it becomes airborne.
Asbestos causes lung cancer. Prolonged exposure to asbestos is just as detrimental to lungs as a pack a day cigarette habit, according to Early, Ludwick, Sweney, and Strauss LLC a company that puts out medical history reports.
Strauss LLC also noted diseases related to asbestos include lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural disease and mesothelioma. Other diseases related to asbestos, but not proven to be a direct cause of asbestos include: colon cancer, larynx cancer, esophagus cancer, and pharynx cancer.
In a March 2002 New York Daily News article, Jane Kenny an EPA administrator for the region that includes Manhattan stated, “The air at Ground Zero is so contaminated with asbestos that no one should go near the area without an asbestos-filtering respirator.”
Currently, New York City sanitation workers spray the streets of downtown Manhattan with water in hopes to keep any possible pollutants such as asbestos from becoming airborne.
Ten years ago all New York City schools underwent rigorous testing for asbestos. The results of the tests created an uproar. Schools were closed in order for asbestos to be removed to ensure the safety of students.
Asbestos has affected other universities also. At Manhattan College after the events of September 11th every building was tested for asbestos contamination in fear that the clouds of dust from lower Manhattan may have become airborne and contaminated the university. This was not the case but asbestos is a dangerous substance and every proactive precaution should be taken.
There is no evidence of asbestos on campus here at Fairfield and university officials are taking precaution to make sure that it stays that way.
History of Asbestos
Asbestos was first commercially used in 1879 to insulate materials. The first case of Asbestosis was recorded 20 years later in 1899. In 1906, 50 deaths were linked to Asbestos dust in a weaving mill. By 1918, the first government report was printed urging “a more qualified extensive investigation.” In 1928 a study revealed four cases of asbestosis causing deaths and the average age of the victims was 41.
In 1930 one out of every four workers in a textile factory became inflicted with asbestosis. Study begins to determine intensity and duration of exposure. In 1935 a survey of United States mines and mills reveal that after three years of daily exposure one-third of the workers had become inflicted with asbestosis. Later that same year asbestosis and lung cancer become linked.
In 1943, asbestosis was officially reported as a cause of cancer when the first Pleural tumor was found in a patient. Lung cancer became the number one effect of asbestosis. In 1950 over 150 articles were published investigating the effects of asbestos. One hundred and thirteen asbestos textile workers, all with 20 years of exposure, found 39 deaths, 15 deaths expected within a year and 11 others with lung cancer.
In 1963 the United States mortality study shows that asbestos plant workers have increased mortality rates. Asbestos is still used in the construction of buildings to prevent the spread of fires. This practice continued until 1975 when the practice became regulated.
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