Asbestos News

An air quality consultant recently found that a Connecticut middle school has issues with asbestos.

Mystic Air Quality Consultants Inc. cleared Pearson Middle School in Winsted in terms of lead paint and PCBs but found that the carcinogenic material was present on the facility's grounds, according to the Waterbury Republican-American.

In a letter to town officials, the consultants recommended that all floor tiles and mastics in the school be completely removed and replaced.

According to the news source, that would amount to replacing 68,000 square feet of material at a cost of nearly $500,000. Specifically, it is estimated that it would cost about $390,000 to remove the offending material and $100,000 to replace it.

Winsted's Board of Selectmen has reportedly given the School Building Committee $175,000 to remove as much of the asbestos-containing materials as possible.

The news source reports that the town hopes to get the state to pay for about 70 percent of the cost.

It is vital that asbestos be removed from schools as exposure to the material can cause malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.