Before the discovery of its toxicity in the mid-1980s, asbestos was used in almost 3000 materials—everything from pajamas to floor tiles—and thus is used quite extensively in many of the 110 buildings on the Rensselaer campus. While asbestos is perfectly safe when undisturbed, there is always the risk of corrosion or interference by humans. So, in order to prevent a possible risk to the people of the RPI community, the Department of Environmental Health and Safety has in place a wide set of precautions aimed at controlling this volatile substance.
“We try to be as proactive as we can be,” said Cecile Mars, director of Environmental Health and Safety. Shortly after asbestos was banned in the 1980s, the Institute did a preliminary survey of the entire campus to find what buildings had asbestos and where. They currently have a map of every building that is updated with more detailed information every time an abatement is necessary.
This survey is not required by law for higher educational facilities, only schools for kindergarten through 12th grade. But Rensselaer went beyond regulations, and the results have been invaluable, said Mars. “This has been a very useful tool in helping us meet the laws and protect safety,” she said.
Every time an abatement is necessary, they use these plans to give them a general idea, then do a full survey of the entire building to search for materials to be removed. “The process is very expensive,” Mars said, “and we try to maximize the abatement dollar by removing as much of the material in an area as we can, instead of just the damaged ones.”
Because any amount of asbestos can be dangerous, the Institute keeps trained personnel on campus to take care of the small problems that do not require a full abatement. There are currently four trained workers in addition to supervisors that can recognize and clean up damaged asbestos if the disturbed area is less than 10 square feet. Asbestos is only harmful when its fibers are in the air, so vacuuming the area and wiping it down with wet cloths removes the problem.
But the materials on campus are damaged so infrequently that these measures are almost never used, says Mars. Most of the time, workers can tell when an area could be damaged by activity, and the material is removed instead of cleaned.
The best way for students to prevent any exposure to asbestos is to not damage any of the building materials on campus, especially insulation on pipes and other infrastructure. If a student does feel that he or she has been exposed, though, Mars says the best way to handle the situation is to contact her office at 276-6114, and the risk will be determined.
