May 15th, 2008

When the owner of a small preschool in Illinois wanted to remove some peeling wallpaper, she decided to do the small job herself. But the plaster behind the wallpaper started to crumble, and asbestos was found in the walls.

Though removing wallpaper from a building is not the most enjoyable of chores, the owner of a preschool in Illinois decided to complete the work on her own. When she started removing the peeling wallpaper, however, pieces of plaster from the walls started to crumble. The work created enough dust to trigger the fire alarm, bringing inspectors to the school; they found that the dust contained asbestos and the school was closed to all students. The owner of the building said she would take appropriate action, now that the asbestos had been found.

But some think that the action comes too late, since dust could be seen in the entire first floor of the building. Children were in the building when response to the fire alarm arrived. The possibility of children being exposed to airborne asbestos is disturbing, since it has been known to lead to emphysema and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a form of asbestos-related lung cancer, can take years to form and is often fatal when diagnosed.