Scranton Schools Fixing Asbestos Problem

November 27, 2006 - The Archdiocese of Scranton (PA) is spending a reported $80,000 to address asbestos problems in its 48 diocesan schools.  According to a report in the Scranton Times-Tribune, the diocese has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address violations that were found during EPA inspections in May 2005, dealing mostly with asbestos maintenance, training and notification.

“None of the violations that were found indicated the students or anybody in the schools had been exposed to asbestos,” indicated Bonnie Smith, spokesperson for the Philadelphia regional office of the EPA.

The newspaper reports that the diocese has spent $15,210 to bring its schools into compliance with the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act and will spend another $62,900 to inspect all the diocesan schools, to train employees responsible for compliance and to provide annual notice of asbestos management plans to parents and employees.

“At this point, we estimate that will cover what needs to be done,” diocesan spokesman William Genello said. “If we find we need to expend money beyond that, we will do it.”

No inspections had been conducted at Scranton diocesan schools since 1998.  Laws indicate that such inspections should be completed every 3 years. In addition to administrative issues, EPA inspectors found other minor violations in several of the schools, such as broken asbestos-containing floor and ceiling tiles and loose asbestos tape on school boilers.

Ms. Smith said the diocese was quite cooperative in addressing the concerns and was quick to respond to requests.  “It’s a win-win for them,” she said. “Most of these measures are preventative measures to make sure a problem doesn’t occur.”