Presence of asbestos in dorms sparks worries from some parents

Mini fridge? Check.\nTV? Check.\nAsbestos? Check.\nSome parents were surprised to learn a carcinogen would be part of their child's dorm room this year.\n"It would be nice if they told us beforehand," said Maryanne Sides, who came from Brownsburg, Ind., to move her son Nick into McNutt and was not aware of the asbestos before Wednesday. "I wish they'd have someone take all of it out."\nTo make students more aware of the asbestos in the ceilings of Briscoe, McNutt and Forest quads, resident assistants will read an announcement from Residential Programs and Services this week.\nSince there are no RAs in Tulip Tree Apartments, which also has asbestos, residents there will receive the announcement in writing.\nThat script informs students of the presence of asbestos and asks them to contact the Asbestos Abatement Team at the physical plant if their ceilings are damaged.\nAsbestos was used for insulation in most buildings built before 1980. Intact asbestos poses no health risks, but inhaling the damaged fibers can harm the lungs many years after exposure. It has been recognized as a carcinogen and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.\nThe University is not legally bound to remove the asbestos from the dorms, but renovations are planned in the next 10 years that will do just that, RPS Executive Director Pat Connor said Tuesday. Some of those renovations could begin as early as 2008.\nPhil Sides, Maryanne's husband, was also worried by the news of asbestos in the dorms. He said he has worked at an automotive factory for several years and has taken a few classes about handling the potentially dangerous material. \n"Whenever we have to deal with a pipe with asbestos on it or something like that, we put on these big suits and get the respirators on," he said.\nSeveral people he has worked with have developed lung problems years later, which Phil Sides said he thinks could be attributed in part to damaged asbestos.\n"It's hard to tell for sure," he said.\nAsbestos was the least of \nAustin, Tex., resident Susan Lubin's concerns when her daughter Car chose to live in McNutt.\n"Air conditioning was very important to us," she said. "But I wish I (had) known about asbestos."\nMichael and Barbara Shuman, who came from St. Louis to move their daughter into McNutt, said that they had been made aware of the asbestos during orientation and it didn't bother them.\n"I'm just glad it's not plutonium," joked Michael Shuman. "You can eat (asbestos) if you want, and it won't hurt you. Just don't start knocking it down and breathing it. And even then I know some good lawyers."\nIngesting asbestos can cause cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.