Many students and faculty are in the dark about asbestos problems in some of the older campus buildings.
While many buildings on campus contain the harmful mineral asbestos, its presence in Butte Hall's ceiling panels make it difficult to repair lighting problems that start above the ceiling.
"The asbestos in Butte is not harmful to students as long as it is held in place," said Joe Wills, director of Public Affairs and Publications.
However, the asbestos is preventing repair of lights and ballasts that control the electrical current, said James Jessee, director of Academic Publications, Facilities and Database Operations.
"Although the asbestos in the building is contained, we have not been able to do any remodeling in the building for years," he said. "We're afraid to create a big problem."
Jessee estimates complete renovation of the building would cost more than $50 million, he said.
Asbestos is a mineral that was widely used in the 1960s in roofing, insulation, gaskets, plastics, papers and other products, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
If asbestos is disturbed, tiny asbestos fibers can become trapped in the lungs for up to 10 years without signs of symptoms, the registry reports. Exposure to the mineral can cause serious health problems, including asbestosis, lung cancer and heart disease.
Not all the light problems are because of asbestos and can be there simply because faculty have not turned in service requests, Jessee said. Depending on the repair, it is not always necessary to go above the ceiling to replace a light.
But the asbestos is becoming harder and harder to ignore, said Robert Jackson, a professor in the political science department who teaches in Butte Hall. Many of the building's classrooms are in the same condition they were in 35 years ago.
Veronica Burke, a third year nursing major, said the flickering lights are a nuisance and thinks students should be notified of potential harm to their health.
Plans to renovate the 35-year-old building have been in the works for 15 years, but the repairs are not always easy to do, Jessee said.
"In order to do repairs above the ceiling, they have to do an asbestos abatement," he said.
Abatement consists of proper checking of the asbestos by an inspector and removal of the material. This process keeps getting put off because of lack of funding from the state, Jessee said.
The Public Health Commission reports that abatement can cost from $5,000 to $150,000, depending on space and amount of asbestos.
In the event that a maintenance issue arises that requires workers to come into contact with asbestos-containing material, a licensed state contractor and a third-party overseer must check that required safety precautions are in place and that the work complies with all safety rules and regulations, said Michael Bates, director of Facilities Management and Services, in an e-mail.
"Facilities and Management replaces light tubes and ballast as soon as possible after receiving the work order," Bates said.
Facilities Management and Services currently has four work orders for lighting in just two Butte Hall classrooms, Bates said.
Senior Paul Ogden, a sociology major, said the flickering lights in his Butte Hall classroom are very distracting.
"It's the worst when you're trying to write an essay," he said. "It'd be nice if we were told why they're not working."
Amanda Drew can be reached at adrew@theorion.com
Be the first to comment on this article!