December 7th, 2004

The classroom building of a Windward Oahu public school in Honolulu had to be evacuated recently due to the presence of airborne asbestos. The presence of asbestos was detected during tests, and was though to have been caused by the sanding and scraping of outer building walls, which were being prepared for painting. It was only after staff raised concerns that the tests were performed and asbestos was in fact found in the air.

Parents of the school kids have been sent letters to reassure them that the necessary cleaning measures will be taken before students are allowed to return to the school. The building will now have to be treated by a professional company with expertise in asbestos clean ups in order to meet government standards.

Asbestos exposure is the known cause of a number of ailments, the most serious of which is mesothelioma, a deadly cancer of the lungs, abdomen, or heart. This disease can take several decades to manifest following exposure to asbestos, and following the onset of symptoms can reduce the victim’s life to a matter of months.

This classroom building at the public school was evacuated in mod-November following the concerns and test results relating to asbestos presence. Due to the dangers of asbestos, the children will not be allowed to return until a thorough clean up has been carried out and further air quality tests have shown that the area is safe again.