Asbestos News

An old office building across the street from a Missouri high school is slated to undergo asbestos abatement and demolition.

The former Kraft Administrative Center will be torn down to make room for a new office building for the adjacent Springfield High School, according to the News-Leader. Of the $4.7 million allocated to buy and improve the land, $400,000 was set aside for demolition and asbestos removal.

"The building is coming down," Gerry Lee, the president of the area's school board, told the news source. "The building is a disaster, a mess."
The chief financial officer for the district, Steve Chodes, said that the old building will be torn down sometime this fall, but there is no exact time frame in place.

In addition to a new office building, the site will provide the high school with additional parking and "green space."

Ensuring that proper asbestos abatement takes place before old buildings are demolished is essential. It is especially important at places like the old Kraft Administrative Center, which is so close to a school. If asbestos isn't handled correctly and becomes airborne, it can be inhaled and cause malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.