Asbestos an Ongoing Issue at Oregon School

It is hard to believe a single tennis ball could cause this much of a problem.

What was thought to be a simple clean up has become an ongoing issue at an Oregon high school.

Officials sealed off the gymnasium at Redmond High School in Redmond, Oregon last Friday after a tennis ball struck the gym ceiling, causing a possible asbestos exposure. The asbestos rained from the ceiling when the tennis ball hit it just right.

A fire retardant containing asbestos is present in the gym ceiling. Officials say the asbestos is safe, as long as it is not disturbed. It is believed the exposure was minimal.

What was expected to be a minor inconvenience has now become an all-out war against asbestos in the gym. Workers in full protective suits have been combing the gymnasium with vacuums, and have missed virtually no nooks or crannies in their meticulous sweep of the gymnasium

With the use of industrial size HEPA-filter vacuums, workers are taking in a great deal of asbestos fibers. The dusty, foam-like material covers the entire ceiling.

“[The fibers] are stronger than steel for their size, so they’re like breathing microscopic needles,” said Steven Paulsen of Paulsen Environmental Consulting, the firm in charge of conducting the clean-up.

“You can find asbestos in just about any building, even brand-new construction,” according to Mr. Paulsen. “Most of our work is in buildings built between 1960 and 1990.”

Asbestos is linked to the rare cancer mesothelioma, which can manifest in the lining of the heart, lungs, or abdomen.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral with a high resistance to fire and chemical damage. Asbestos is still used today, and was only outlawed in fire retardants, boiler insulation and paper. In dozens of other counties, however, asbestos has been completely outlawed.

The gym is scheduled to be back open next week.