THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 29, 1995 TAG: 9512290558
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Students will return on time to W.T. Cooke Elementary School after tests showed that the building has been cleared of loose asbestos fibers, school officials said Thursday.
Cooke, the city's oldest elementary school, was tested and cleaned last week after asbestos fibers were found in a coat closet.
School officials said testing by an environmental monitoring firm showed the school would be safe for students to return on Jan. 3, the first day back from the holiday.
The school district spent about $300,000 on asbestos abatement work at Cooke last summer and had been told that all asbestos had been removed.
However, tests completed late last week found free asbestos in the closet and in some non-accessible areas, such as the ceiling and behind cabinets, according to Paul Garrison, director of environmental services for the district. All of the fibers collected would fit in a shot glass, Garrison said.
Representatives of Asbestos Control Services Inc., which did the abatement, and Critical Hygiene Inc., which did the monitoring last summer, were not available for comment Thursday afternoon.
In addition, encapsulated asbestos - which is contained and is not floating freely - was found in two classrooms, the library and cafeteria. That will be cleaned up this summer when no students are in the school, Garrison said.
Encapsulated or undisturbed asbestos is not considered a health risk. However, a potential problem is created when the asbestos is moved and the fibers become airborne.
Garrison said industrial hygienists told school officials there is no evidence to show that short-term exposure would create a health hazard. Long-term exposure can be carcinogenic and can cause respiratory disease, particularly for those who work with asbestos.
The firm that did the abatement work this summer was called in to do the cleanup at Cooke. But a different monitoring firm was used to make sure the school was safe.
Garrison said the school district had been in touch with the city attorney's office and that school officials did not expect to have to pay the abatement firm any additional money.
``Our expectation is this work is being done under warranty,'' he said.
Joe Lowenthal, the school district's public relations coordinator, said coats from the exposed closet would not be returned to students, but the families would be reimbursed. He said it was still uncertain whether the school district or one of the firms involved in the work this summer would pay for the coats. by CNB