May 2nd, 2006

School’s already out for some students, after asbestos removal was arranged at East Middle School as part of a major project. The Mesa County School District 51, has reportedly spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars getting asbestos removed from two buildings earlier this week.

The East Middle School is set to be renovated later in the year, and students have finished school a week early in order to allow contractors to get started on the asbestos abatement. The school will be gutted and rebuilt over the summer according to officials.

The abatement at this school follows the same type of work being carried out at West Middle School last year. The works are part of an ongoing project that is set to cost millions of dollars in total.

Asbestos is a substance that can cause a number of ill health effects through airborne exposure, including a deadly cancer known as mesothelioma. This is why students had to be let out of school a week early while contractors went in to start the renovation.