RPS: Students must report asbestos damage

Students are responsible for keeping asbestos in their own dorms intact and reporting any problems they notice because they are given information upon moving in, said Pat Connor, director of Residential Programs and Services.\nEvery dorm room and common room in Forest, McNutt and Briscoe Quads and Tulip Tree Apartments is beginning to receive biannual asbestos inspections and repairs because of damage. Connor said the damage is caused by water leaks and students damaging the ceilings themselves.\n"As long as students do not engage in an act that would cause them to come into contact with the ceilings, there's not a problem," he said.\nUpon renovation, asbestos is removed from dorms. All four dorms are up for renovation in the next 10 years. Connor said they hope to begin work on Briscoe in the next three or four years.\nConnor said the asbestos is harmless unless damaged, but most students said they had no idea asbestos was in the buildings.\nAsbestos was used in most buildings built before 1980. It was commonly used as an insulation material but since then has been officially recognized as a carcinogen. When intact, the material is not considered hazardous, but damaged asbestos can cause the fibers to break off, opening the possibility of inhalation. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause damage to the lungs.\nMike Jenson, the associate director for the Office of Environmental, Health and Safety Management, said the exposure to students is unlikely to cause serious health problems because a significant amount is needed to cause serious problems. But Mark Farber, acting director of the IU Occupational Lung \nCenter, disagreed.\n"Nobody really knows what the minimum safe exposure to asbestos particles is," Farber said. "You don't know what somebody's susceptibility is. If it's getting damaged, then it should be removed. In theory, there's a potential risk, and people should be concerned about it."\nTomas Beauchamp, a former employee of the Office of Environmental, Health and Safety Management, inspected about 100 dorms in each building. \n"I know that I wouldn't want to be exposed to that," Beauchamp said. "I know that I wouldn't want my daughter to be exposed to that. I wouldn't want any of my friends to be exposed to that."\nFreshman Maggie Switzer, who lives in Forest, is concerned about the issue but not surprised.\n"It sounds dangerous, but I don't know if I'm really that surprised since they're older buildings," said Switzer, who was unaware of the asbestos's presence.\nConnor believes IU provides students with enough information to consider them responsible for keeping the asbestos in their rooms intact and reporting any problems. Upon moving in, students are given a guide to residence living and are told they are responsible for the information it contains. After reading the material, students should know not to damage the asbestos, he said.\n"Puncturing these materials could cause a release of harmful fibers. Please don't insert nails, hooks, bottle caps or do anything that would damage the material even slightly. If you notice any damage, please report it to your center desk," states page three of "Your Neighborhood from A to Z," the booklet given to students when they move in.\nFreshman Jennifer Faulk, who lives in Forest, was unaware of the presence of the asbestos until this week.\n"I probably wouldn't have lived there if I had known about it," Faulk said. "They said they'd get rid of it all in 10 years, but 10 years is a long time. They need to get on it really soon."\nBeauchamp, who contacted lawyers on the issue, said a warning isn't enough to pass away liability. As long as the asbestos is within reach of the top bunk, the responsibility lies with the University, he said.\n"As long as the students can reach this and damage it, IU is responsible," Beauchamp said. "Something so accessible is a legal issue."\nIU has known about the presence and state of the asbestos in these dorms since 1987, after they teamed up with Hall-Kimbrell to develop a report documenting all existing asbestos on campus. \nIU staffs an around-the-clock abatement crew. For large problems that take extended periods of time to repair, students have to be \nrelocated.\nIf the damage appears to be intentional, such as from nails or decorations in the ceiling, students are fined. But if the damage was accidental or the result of a water leak, no fine is charged.