Asbestos concerns
The use of asbestos, a mineral fiber usually found in construction materials, is a topic stirring emotions at Eastern Michigan University.
Ellen Bernard, EMU’s Environmental Health and Safety Specialist in Snow Health Center thinks asbestos is just part of life. When questioned about whether or not there was, in fact, asbestos in the building Bernard dismissed the subject.
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“So? There is asbestos in a whole lot of buildings on this campus,” Bernard said.
She then went on to say she would not discuss asbestos and walked away.
Answers like Bernard’s haven’t eased any fear in Pittman residents who have noticed the yellow asbestos ‘caution tape.’
Pittman Hall resident Carly Gantt, an aviation management major, asked two of Pittman Hall’s residential advisors questions about the tape. Gantt was told to wait it out, and that the asbestos problem is on the same level as not having hot water or heat.
“I was told that the tape was put up as a precaution while fixing a pipe that burst,” said Gantt, who dealt with no building heat and unreliable water temperatures for about three weeks along with many other residents. “That didn’t make me feel very safe or comfortable.”
History major Justin Langel said he has seen workers dressed in protective coveralls and breathing masks. Workers didn’t offer Langel many solutions after he inquired about the problem either.
Langel said he was told, “The asbestos is part of life, and we are going to have to live with it.”
But knowing the dangers of asbestos and that the material remains in many campus buildings, both Langel and Gantt said they’re irritated at the way housing staff brushed their concerns off so easily.
Same goes for criminal justice major Max Carson, another resident of Pittman. Carson recently found out he is living in an area where there is potentially harmful asbestos. This upset him.
“I am really pissed that we were not informed and want the university to find a way to compensate us,” Carson said.
Geoff Larcom, executive director of media relations at EMU, stressed that students come first. There is no question whether the university would notify students if their health was at risk.
There was concern over a leaking pipe in Pittman as well. Some were worried it would disturb asbestos in the
building. However, the pipe has not evolved into a full-fledged issue yet.
Since the pipe is located in a hallway and not in a student residence hall, students were not notified. If the pipe was in a student’s room, on the other hand, Kathryn Willhoff, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, said the university would have notified said student. To Willhoff, students deserve necessary precaution, especially in cases dealing with asbestos danger.
“I think that new procedures need to be implemented when it comes to asbestos,” Willhoff said. “There aren’t any laws that require the university to notify students of asbestos in buildings, but I think that we need to meet with Brian Fitzgerald from housing to make these changes, and I will be talking to him. My department is in charge of the right to know law, which is basic hazardous awareness safety for student employees.”
Although residents living in Pittman were not warned of the asbestos, Willhoff wants to assure students the problem has not been ignored. The university hired licensed contractors to remove poison from the asbestos, which was not disturbed during the process. The contractors followed all state laws and regulations, and no dangerous levels were emitted at anytime during the removal.
Accordingly, Willhoff said students do not need to worry about the fact it takes 10-20 years for people exposed to dangerous levels of poison in asbestos to have any kind of reaction.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains the risks of developing types of cancer, particularly, a disease called Asbestosis. Asbestosis is a lung disease for which there is no effective treatment yet.
Additionally, two common cancers caused by asbestos are lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Until the 1970s, asbestos was used in the construction of homes and buildings for insulation and fire retardant, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It rarely used nowadays because of the health hazards. But several old buildings in Michigan, such as EMU’s Physical Plant, still contain the hazardous material.
A plan in terms of abatement should disturbance to asbestos occur is available on the physical plants’ website.
Unless asbestos is disturbed in some way, students, faculty and staff will not be threatened. This is the reason why Willhoff said the best defense against asbestos is avoiding interruption.
Willhoff encourages students who have concerns to call the Physical Plant at (734) 487-3591, or The Office of Environmental Health and Safety at (734) 487-0794. For further concerns, Willhoff is available in room 107 of the Snow Health Center.
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by Alum
As long as the asbestos is not friable (able to be reduced to small particles) it’s not dangerouse. Most building code officials will tell you that it’s better to leave it in place if its in good shape, rather than to remove it and cause it to become friable. Students need to educate themselves about this subject. Then there is also the subject of either long or short fibers. Big chunks of it are less liable to do any damage.
Flag for moderationby Kilo
Very pooor response by the administration!!!!!!
Flag for moderationWhatever the case may be a bit more professionalism would have helped!!
by Bob
Heard rumor by worthy sources at the university that these employees were terribly misquoted. Also know that asbestos is in almost every building across the globe that was built prior to 1970 and that asbestos is only harmful in certain forms, and in certain conditions. Interesting debacle here, but it seems like everyone’s making a big deal out of nothing. Has anyone (The Echo) called fellow universities to find out how common asbestos is, and whether or not this is a typical and harmless problem, or SENSATIONALISTIC JOURNALISM-???
Flag for moderationby Bob
Now that I think about it, I heard staff was misquoted over the telephone booth ordeal as well? I wonder if there’s any sort of EMU follow up for journalists who don’t follow the ethics guidelines, or if they get reprimanded by fellow students (since it’s a “student run” newspaper). It seems so rarely corrections are made on the easternecho.com
Flag for moderationby student
The Echo is notorious for sensational journalism. Not only do they regularly misquote but I have yet to see them publish a “corrections” section in any of their papers. Even the New York Times makes mistakes and openly admits it!
Flag for moderationI am extremely disappointed in this article and a few others. Do your research, provide the facts and stop trying to make the University look like the bad guys. Sometimes they are, most of the time their not. But in the end, their trying to do what is best for the students, like abate asbestos.
by Bob
Dear Echo, why did you take down my last post~?? There was nothing inappropriate in it~? Was it because I questioned the integrity and value of articles typically found between your pages-???? Doesn’t seem fair.
Flag for moderationby JAL
I think you should be more concerned at the subject of the article rather than nit picking the article.
Flag for moderationby Bob
And what is the pertinent subject matter-? I’ve failed to recognize it…educate me please.
Flag for moderationby Bob
Did you notice the article has mysteriously disappeared online. Huh… wonder why that is. It had such great subject matter.
Flag for moderationby student
The Echo actually has published correction sections before. If you’re so concerned about it, why don’t you send a letter to the editor? They’re accepted and are sometimes printed.
Flag for moderationby Bob
Commenting on this website would suffice, if they didn’t retract any statement that portrayed them in a bad light. If they won’t allow a comment to be published online, they certainly wouldn’t print a letter to an editor. Your name says student, but you can’t read between the lines to well… or can you, but it’s blurry? I’m sensing I know which publication you write for.
Flag for moderationby Geoff Larcom
Here are some explanatory details not included in the story that will help in understanding this issue on campus:
Since September, there have been seven asbestos abatements needed at Pittman in order to perform repairs on either the plumbing or steam systems. Intact asbestos was present on valves on these systems. The asbestos needed to be removed in order for the repairs to be made. The pipes with the asbestos on them were either behind walls or ceilings.
When Physical Plant personnel encounter pipes with asbestos or suspected asbestos, they contact EMU’s office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) to coordinate testing and/or removal. EHS contacts one of the University’s licensed asbestos abatement companies to perform the work. EHS also contacts one of the University’s industrial hygiene consultants to air monitor during and after the abatement and oversee the abatement project.
Once the work is scheduled, EHS sends a notice to the affected departments and union groups. In the case of Housing, Housing administration is notified. They in turn notify the Area Complex Director. If the work is in a resident’s room, the resident(s) are notified and they are typically relocated for the duration of the abatement and repair.
While the work is being conducted, the required “Danger Asbestos” signs are posted and the area is isolated with barrier tape. For larger jobs, enclosures are built, but the work at Pittman was all able to be performed using glove bags. Glove bags are large plastic bags with gloves built into them that are wrapped around the pipe, sealed and then the material to be abated is removed inside the bag using the gloves.
Air monitoring pumps are placed in the work area and in the area surrounding the work. Some concerns have been expressed regarding the insulation that remains in the openings left in the ceiling and wall. The remaining insulation is fiberglass, not asbestos.In all cases, the air monitoring for the work at Pittman were all well below the State of Michigan limit of 0.05 fibers per cubic centimeter and the more strict EPA limit and the limit EMU uses of 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter.
It is very important to note that such asbestos abatement procedures occur routinely around around our campus and others with older buildings. In each case, the safety of Eastern’s students and staff remains our utmost consideration, and the protocols outlined above are rigorously followed.
Note: Geoff Larcom is director of media relations at EMU. Before that, he worked as a reporter and editor for The Ann Arbor News for 25 years.
Flag for moderationby Jack T Feilds
I know Max Carson, he would have definitely used I’m and not I am.
Flag for moderation