Stoutonia

Issue date: 2/25/10 Section: News

Caution tape blocks of room 312 of Harvey Hall after a report of asbestos.

Room 312 in Harvey Hall that frequently filters students in and out was temporarily quarantined on Thursday, Feb. 18 due to an asbestos scare. Caution tape blocked the door and the thin rectangular window on the door was covered up for the remainder of the week. After some investigation, it was determined that the situation was not threatening, and the classroom has since been reopened for use.

Professors were forced to use alternate venues to hold classes for the latter part of the week, which, needless to say, was an inconvenience. One of the several professors affected was Mike Levy, the Chair of the Department of English and Philosophy.
"It was a lot of inconvenience," said Levy.

"As chair, I spent a good part of the afternoon dealing with the situation. On Friday, I had to teach in a classroom which was inappropriate for my class."

Joan Menefee, a professor in the English department, was also affected by the classroom change. "It was a little frustrating to meet in the first-floor conference room, but I found class to be surprisingly successful. The students and I pulled together to make the best of a confusing situation."

This is not the first time this year that asbestos has been reported on campus, and it is more than likely that it will not be the last we hear about it. Asbestos containing materials, or ACM, was used in many building materials throughout campus years ago in buildings like Harvey Hall.

"As the campus buildings aged, the ACM broke down or became damaged," said Superintendent of Building and Grounds Zenon Smolarek. "As we encounter situations where work is planned or damage has occurred in an area where ACM is present, the ACM is abated as needed."

The University of Wisconsin-Stout has an in-house, licensed abatement staff that is qualified to do small scale abatement. If a larger scale problem comes about then an outside ACM abatement contractor licensed by the state of Wisconsin must be called in to abate the area.

Constant exposure to asbestos can cause an array of health concerns, most notably a disease that most of us only hear about on legal advertisements, Mesothelioma. It is cancer of the mesothelium, which is a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. If not treated, Mesothelioma can result in death in as little as four months.

"You can't help worrying, but we were assured before they reopened the room that no asbestos was present in the air, which they tested with a machine," said Levy.

Although there was no evidence of asbestos in this particular situation, the fact that asbestos was used in the construction of these buildings is something that will be constantly monitored.
"The question is not whether or not there is asbestos in the building, but whether or not it is safely immobilized," said Levy."I believe that the university is doing its best to deal with asbestos given the very limited financial resources they have been allotted by the state of Wisconsin."

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