Damaged asbestos likely in 4 dorms

Extensive damage to asbestos in some dorms at IU is likely exposing students to the hazardous material, said Tomas Beauchamp, a former employee of the Office of Environmental, Health and Safety Management.\nCeilings of some dorms and common rooms in Briscoe, McNutt and Forest Quads and Tulip Tree Apartments contain damaged asbestos, Beauchamp said, leaving open the possibility of inhalation of the substance's fibers by the public.\nAsbestos is a material used for insulation, mostly in buildings built before 1980. The material poses no health risks while intact, but when damaged, inhaling the fibers can harm the lungs. It has been recognized as a carcinogen and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and, in cases of worker exposure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.\n"In some cases, I am sure that people's health is being compromised," Beauchamp said. "This is legally, ethically and morally unacceptable."\nMike Jenson, associate director of IU's OEHSM, confirmed the presence of the damaged asbestos but said the office is taking appropriate precautionary measures. For years, the four dorms have been inspected and repaired annually, he said, and last month the office created a new policy of inspecting and repairing them biannually.\n"Asbestos fibers are hazardous if you get a significant dose," Jenson said. "The combination of the warning and the checking is probably good enough to keep students form getting a significant dose."\nIn the past five years, the University has spent $9 million on asbestos abatement, not including the salaries of the abatement crew, who are available 24 hours a day.\nBeauchamp said the damage to the asbestos is due to students' habits of carving and poking sharp objects into the ceiling and flaking off pieces of the ceiling, most likely while lying in the top bunks of their beds.\nUpon moving in, students are given literature containing warnings about the asbestos in the room. But the accessibility of the asbestos to students makes the University liable for the hazard, Beauchamp said.\n"When you're talking about the public, even if you bury some warning in a brochure, that wouldn't be enough legal protection," Beauchamp said. "As long as the students can reach this and damage it, IU is responsible. Something so accessible is a legal issue."\nBut liability isn't likely, Jenson said, because if somebody's health was compromised, it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly which building exposed a person to the asbestos that caused the damage.\n"If they had a lung condition that they could specifically link to asbestos exposure here at the University, then (IU could be liable)," Jenson said. "But there's asbestos in just about every building built before 1980. It would be very, very difficult to prove."\nIn May 2004, the Musical Arts Center closed for asbestos removal. That damage, which was potentially exposing the public to asbestos fibers, was caused by vibrations from the musical instruments. Renovating all four dorms to this extent, Jenson said, would cost about $10 million.\nWhenever a dorm is renovated, all asbestos is removed, Jenson said. All four of the dorms are scheduled for renovation in the next 10 years.\nLegally, universities are not required to have an asbestos management plan. The EPA put out a standard guideline in 1990 regarding asbestos management, but the University is not legally held to that standard. Jenson said IU is currently working on developing a formal asbestos management plan.\nThe OEHSM has known about the presence of the asbestos since the 1987 Hall-Kimbrell report, which catalogued all asbestos on the campus. \n"Considering we've had since 1987 to do something, we could have at least made progress," Beauchamp said. "It might not have been perfect, but we could have at least done something. Every day that goes by that we know about this and we don't do something is a real problem." \nBeauchamp was fired from the OEHSM Sept. 12, days after issuing a news release about asbestos exposure in the dorms. \nHe was dismissed on the grounds of sexual harassment and missing two days of work. Beauchamp believes those reasons were invented and has filed a grievance with IU and a complaint with the Department of Labor. He believes his dismissal was a result of making the asbestos issue public.\n"I didn't want to do this," Beauchamp said. "I didn't want to be a public whistle-blower. I didn't. I wanted to work internally." \nJenson declined to comment on Beauchamp's grievance.\nBeauchamp's first meeting about his complaint with the Federal Department of Labor took place Thursday. He has a meeting regarding his grievance scheduled with IU for Nov. 2, he said.