Aging, asbestos-laden school to be demolished due to mesothelioma cancer fears

An elementary school in Oregon’s Klamath Falls school system has been slated for demolition. The Henley Elementary School closed four years ago after asbestos was found in the building during roof repairs. Constructed in 1929, by the end of this year, the building will be little more than a memory. The total cost of the demolition project is expected to be around $85,000.

Asbestos was once used to make insulation, roofing materials, floor and ceiling tiles, and many other building materials. Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma has no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years after being informed that they have developed the disease.

Palliative mesothelioma treatment methods, such as chemo, are only successful for a short period of time in most cases. Exposure to asbestos may also cause serious health problems, including other types of cancer, respiratory damage, or asbestosis (a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs that can cause death in some cases).

"There’s no question the Henley Elementary parents wanted to keep the kids in Henley," said Greg Thede, superintendent of the Klamath County School District. "Any talk of a new building would have to be part of an upcoming bond campaign, and obviously this isn’t the time to go back to voters and talk about bonds for paying for those," Thede added. "For the foreseeable future, the students will remain in portable [school rooms]."