RPS to change asbestos policy

Residential Programs and Services is looking to implement more effective ways of warning students against damaging the asbestos contained in the ceilings of some dorms, RPS Director Pat Connor said.\nDorms and common rooms in Forest, Briscoe and McNutt quads and Tulip Tree Apartments contain asbestos in the ceilings that, when damaged, can lead to exposure, which sometimes results in complications of the lungs.\nUpon moving in, students receive a guide to residential living titled, "Your Neighborhood from A to Z," which contains an asbestos warning on page three. Although students are expected to have read all the material given to them on move-in day, many students didn't even know of the presence of the asbestos until last week.\n"It's kind of scary," said freshman Cassie Ziegler, a resident of Briscoe. "I had never even heard anything about it before."\nTo raise awareness, RPS is looking for more effective ways of communicating the risks to students next year.\n"Our goal is really to try to put in place for next year a different approach with additional communications beyond what we put in those (move-in) materials to make students aware of the existence of (the asbestos)," Connor said.\nConnor previously said RPS policies regarding asbestos prevention provided students with enough information to consider them responsible for keeping the asbestos in their rooms intact and reporting any problems. After reading the move-in material, Connor said, students should know not to damage the asbestos.\n"I believe we're making students aware of the issue," Connor said in the Oct. 24 interview.\nConnor said the new policies haven't been decided upon yet, but he sees the possibility of giving resident assistants scripted warnings to read at floor meetings during Welcome Week as one of the most promising solutions.\nThe current communication policy was developed by RPS and IUSA about five years ago, said Bruce Jacobs, vice chancellor for auxiliary services and programs.\n"The last thing that any of us want is for dangerous situations for our residents," Jacobs said. "We thought we were doing enough, but if folks say we're not, then let's figure something out. If putting it in the handbook is not enough, with all the technology there is today, there's probably a lot more we could do."\nAlthough laws have been passed regulating the removal of asbestos and the maintenance of asbestos in K-12 schools, IU is not governed by any acts regarding asbestos maintenance.\n"There are no laws governing damaged material, but I would suggest the University notifies students that the ceilings do contain asbestos," said Dan Stamatkin, an environmental engineer from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. "Small amounts of material, although they are significant and should not be taken lightly, are probably not going to cause serious damage."\nFreshman Jennifer Stutz, a Briscoe resident, was unaware of the presence of the asbestos until last week, but is not concerned.\n"It hasn't really affected me yet, so I'm not worried," Stutz said.\nMark Farber, acting director of the IU Occupational Lung Center, argued that small doses of asbestos exposure have been proven harmful, and that the effects of asbestos exposure aren't apparent for many years.\n"It is true that the risk is not great, but nobody can tell you that there is a safe exposure level. Any asbestos product that is being disturbed is a potential risk," Farber said. "It may not affect them in any way until 20 years later. People aren't going to have symptoms. It gets down into their lungs, and 20 years later they'll come in with diseases."\nFreshman Brittney McPheeters, a resident of Forest, was unaware of the asbestos until last week, and is concerned about the health risk. \n"It actually does worry me," she said. "I just had a college adviser from high school die from asbestos exposure." \nAsbestos, an insulation material used in buildings built before 1980 when it was officially recognized as a carcinogen, is harmless when intact. But exposure to damaged asbestos can lead to lung complications and cancer. The damage to the asbestos in these dorms is most often due to water leaks and student-induced damage, whether intentional or accidental.\n"As long as the ceilings are undisturbed, and students aren't messing with the ceilings, then there's not a problem," Connor said. "If they've damaged something, they should report it."\nConnor said in a previous interview he 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"I believe we're making students aware of the issue," Connor said in the interview.