YSU Receives $200,000 for Asbestos Abatement
Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio is one of the most recent recipients of federal stimulus money to remove asbestos, along with the Madison Building in Toledo, Ohio and the Midtown Cleveland Inc Agora theater –each receiving $200,000 from the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund for asbestos abatement.
The Garfield Building has been vacant for years because continued use of the building would require significant renovations that the university could not afford until now. While the asbestos is being removed, the university will begin raising funding to complete the remodeling. Renovations are expected to begin in the next three months. Once completed, the university expects to use the new space for research labs and classrooms.
Though asbestos was widely used in building materials prior to the 1970s, it is not harmful to people unless the asbestos is disturbed, which commonly occurs during renovations. Exposure to these fibers can cause asbestos cancers, such as mesothelioma later in a person’s life.
