Parish officials informed parents of students at St. Mary’s High School in Rutherford, New Jersey, that asbestos has been found in the ceiling of the wrestling team’s locker room. It is believed that the asbestos may have been dislodged during bathroom renovations above the locker room. The loose asbestos is going to be removed and the ceiling repaired in accordance with EPA guidelines. In addition, an EPA investigator found possible traces of asbestos on a steam pipe in the high school’s cafeteria. The pipe, which had been wrapped in asbestos, was scrubbed after a leak in November 2006, and school officials believed all the asbestos had been properly removed. The EPA investigator ordered that the pipe be scrubbed again, and that work was completed on August 31. Air samples were taken to detect any airborne asbestos, but the results will not be available for at least six weeks. The school has also corrected other deficiencies noted by the EPA inspector by creating an asbestos management plan as required by law and having members of the high school’s maintenance and custodial staff complete required training in asbestos abatement and removal.
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