Asbestos Removal Part of Renovation Project at San Angelo, Texas Elementary School

In June 2009, the San Angelo Times reported on a large-scale renovation project at a San Angelo district school. The West Central Texas area elementary school, which was built in the 1920s, will undergo asbestos abatement as part of the $2.1 million renovation project.

In 2008, district voters approved a $117 bond project to fund needed improvements at 11 school campuses in the district.

The work is scheduled to continue throughout the summer and the 2009-10 school year, with an anticipated completion date of August 2010. Asbestos abatement will be completed before the school opens to students, faculty and staff in the fall.  During the construction, the district plans to use a portable building to accommodate the construction schedule at the school.

Even short-term exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis.  Teachers and those who work in older school buildings are at risk to develop asbestos-related illnesses, particularly those buildings that used asbestos materials to insulate boilers and heating pipes.