Asbestos removal a concern at the University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island had to move Facility Services out of the Sherman building during the last week of October in order to remove the second floor carpet and asbestos-laden floor tiles. The Director of University Facilities Services stated that at least half of the university’s buildings were built with asbestos floor tiles that still remain in place.
The asbestos removal project in the Sherman building was a routine procedure. The university does not know where all of the asbestos is located, so they are completing asbestos inspections as each renovation project takes place. When asbestos is in a controlled state, as it is when it is contained within floor tiles that are covered with carpeting, it does not pose a health risk. When asbestos fibers become airborne, however, there is a danger that people could inhale them. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious respiratory illnesses like asbestosis or even various forms of cancer, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.
So if asbestos-containing floor tiles become brittle, they need to be taken care of before they pose a danger to people. If a floor tile were to break, the facilities director said that the university would hire a licensed asbestos contractor to come in, remove the tiles and send the tiles for proper disposal in a designated landfill. When asbestos removal takes place, the area is blocked off and students are informed about the contamination.
According to the facilities director, the floor tiles are not the only asbestos contamination the university has to deal with. Some of the older buildings contain asbestos pipe insulation in the walls. As long as the pipe covering remains undisturbed, it does not pose an immediate danger. The insulation is checked only when repairs are needed.
The University of Rhode Island will also need to have asbestos removed from the floor of the Biological Science Center before it is demolished later this school year. An asbestos inspection will also be needed at Tucker House due to a broken asbestos floor tile.
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