August 21st, 2007

Following the discovery of asbestos at a Connecticut high school education board members have had to meet up to discuss the problem. The discovery was made at Watertown High School earlier in July. The Board of Education was informed of the presence of asbestos by the school custodian.

According to officials around one hundred and fifty feet of floor tiling had been removed by students in the weight room area, and this had been done on instruction from a staff member who has not been named. Students had also been dropping weights on the tiles to loosen them before removal.

According to one official "the students began moving the flooring on July 9 and continued on July 11 and 12." The report also indicated that over seventy students were in the room while the tiling was being removed. The cost of abatement in the school is likely to fall between twenty and thirty thousand dollars.

Asbestos is a known carcinogenic, and exposure to airborne dust and fibers can result in a range of health problems including respiratory problems, lung scarring, and a form of cancer known as mesothelioma.