February 23rd, 2008

A Colorado school reopened this week after air tests indicating high levels of asbestos shut the school down. The spike in air quality could not be replicated, and the school was open for classes.

During boiler repairs at a Colorado high school, air quality tests were periodically being conducted, since the insulation around the boiler contained asbestos. But school workers were shocked last week when a spike occurred in a nearby hallway, shutting the school down over asbestos exposure concerns. Environmental technicians swept through the school over the weekend, trying to find the cause of the air quality spike. After testing 50 different sites, only one came back as having asbestos, and the amount of the dangerous substance was so small that it would not have registered as a high level of asbestos.

The testing will continue since classes have now resumed in the school. Air quality tests measure airborne asbestos particles, which have been known to cause cancer and respiratory diseases. If asbestos particles are inhaled, the particles can lead to a form of cancer called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is often times untreatable when detected, since the condition can take decades to manifest and is usually in an advanced state when diagnosed.