Asbestos in Schools: Renovate or Tear Down
Sometimes the cost of renovating an older building is more prohibitive than tearing it down and starting over due to the high cost of bringing the building up to code. Many older buildings were constructed with toxic materials, such as asbestos and lead. Exposure to asbestos has been clearly linked with diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Therefore, any work to be performed to buildings constructed before the 1980’s has to follow strict regulations which can be costly.
The decision to demolish Roosevelt Elementary School in Middletown, Ohio is a current example of the dilemma whether to save a building or to demolish. The cost to renovate the site of Roosevelt Elementary would be more than razing the property and building new. As is, the cost of asbestos removal is over $400,000. Removal of all asbestos containing products even before demolition of the property is required by federal and environmental law.
Removal must be complete before razing any building structures as the risk of asbestos becoming airborne is highest during demolition. Materials containing asbestos, when intact and in good condition, usually encapsulate and contain the toxic fibers. When asbestos containing materials (ACMs) are disturbed, fibers can become airborne and inhaled into the body. Decades later, this can develop into mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer.
Some residents of Middletown protested the demolition, hoping to establish the building as “historic” and therefore protected, however the cost of renovating was too high. Unfortunately, this is the dilemma faced by many counties who must make hard decisions based on what will most protect the public and be within their budgetary limits.
