Million-dollar asbestos abatement a "waste of time," say officialsHagatna, Guam - In the United States territory of Guam, some officials have declared that a recent asbestos removal project that cost over $1 million dollars was a waste of time, as the floor tiles that were removed did not need to be targeted.
The Department of Education ordered asbestos abatement at seven schools on Guam, with a total price tag of between $1.5 and $2 million dollars. But Department of Education Safety Administrator Bruce Williams says that the asbestos-laden floor tiles could have safely stayed where they were.
"The word asbestos scares people," Williams said. "And people think that everyone is in danger. But no. This was not the case." Williams argues that the asbestos removal project was basically undertaken to alleviate the fears of concerned parents.
Exposure to even a small amount of asbestos can be deadly, as asbestos is linked to the development of lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare disease. Mesothelioma can be treated with chemotherapy and other methods, but the cancer has no cure. Sadly, mesothelioma patients may not survive more than two years after being diagnosed.
Williams said that despite the panic caused by the Guam Public School System Health and Safety Task Force, the asbestos-laden tiles were within federal government standards.
"Although (the law) does not prohibit schools from removing any asbestos materials, removal decisions should not be made lightly," one government-issued pamphlet states. "An ill-conceived or poorly conducted removal can actually increase rather than eliminate risk."
And according to the U.S. EPA's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, "Removal is often not a school district's or other building owner's best course of action to reduce asbestos exposure...in fact, an improper removal can create a dangerous situation where none previously existed."
