Montclair, NJ-Officials got quite the surprise when they returned back to school after the long winter break on Monday, January 4, 2010, to find a heating pipe had burst and damaged floor tiles that contain asbestos-materials. The damaged floor tiles may have potentially exposed students and faculty to the cancer-causing agent, asbestos, who could have unknowingly walked into the area where the pipe had ruptured, as reported by NorthJersey.com.
Montclair School District officials reported that officials isolated a portion of the boy's locker room at Glenfield Middle School, when school staff had arrived back to the school after the winter break. A heating pipe apparently burst in the locker room, which subsequently damaged some floor tiles in the room that contained asbestos. It is unknown how long the pipe and the tiles were damaged before officials discovered the mess, or how many people may have unknowingly exposed themselves to the hazardous material. School officials reportedly "tested the tiles for asbestos," which "did test positive for asbestos." The boy's locker room is closed until further notice, while the proper repairs are made. School administrators informed parents of the middle school students that air quality tests are being conducted in the affected area; officials are still awaiting the results.
Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) www.epa.gov/ Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), all asbestos in school buildings and structures are to be managed "in place." This plan was implemented to prevent the exposure of asbestos by teaching people to recognize asbestos-containing materials (ACM), to actively monitor, and when needed, to manage the in place. ACM may become hazardous and pose an increased health risk when they are damaged, disturbed, or deteriorated over time, which will release asbestos fibers into the building's air supply. There is no known safe level of exposure.
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