Asbestos May Delay School Opening

August 21, 2006 - Asbestos was recently discovered in the ceiling of a Klamath Falls, Oregon elementary school that had already been under fire by parents for its poor air quality.

The material was discovered in the attic of the elementary school, which was being re-roofed, preventing the repair of water-damaged ceilings and potentially delaying the start of classes, reported the Oregon News-Review.  The Henley Elementary School is scheduled to open shortly after the Labor Day weekend.

Acting Superintendent Greg Thede said the material was found on August 19th.  "It is in the ceiling of virtually the whole school," he said, making abatement both time-consuming and costly.

According to the article in the News-Review, parents and staff members blamed poor-quality air for excessive respiratory illnesses and other ailments during the last school year. An environmental testing firm tested for mold and took steps to remedy that problem, such as drying the crawl space beneath the school.

"The roofing material that is sitting in the attic on the ceiling tile is there from roof demolition in the last couple of weeks," Thede insisted.

The roofing contractor, however, said the attic section where asbestos was found is below where non-asbestos roofing was torn off.  "They don't know where it's coming from. They inspected without my knowledge," said Aaron Powless of Powless Roofing.

He claims that the roofing was taken off in compliance with environmental and workplace regulations, and that a district official was present during the demolition.