The closure of Hinsdale Middle School, due to mold from a leaking pipe, was further complicated by the discovery of asbestos in early January. The school has been closed since January 16.
While attending to areas of the school that were affected by water damage, workers disassembled risers in the music room, where water had come in through the ceiling. The risers were covered in vinyl tiles, and some of the tiles were broken during the cleanup. Integrity Environmental Services tested the site and found small concentrations of asbestos. However, according to a District 181 letter sent to the Hinsdale community, the low percentages were not a cause for concern, and the students, faculty, and staff of the school were most likely not exposed to airborne asbestos.
“The rooms were cleaned three times now,” said Mark Ravenesi, president of Integrity Energy Services. “There will be a fourth, and we feel confident there was never an issue [with asbestos] in those rooms.” Regarding the likelihood of asbestos fibers having been released in the school, Ravenesi stated the possibility was “extremely remote, at best.”
Part of the mold eradication included “about two miles of drywall replacement,” according to project manager Edward Smith. Although the work is ongoing, Smith was confident the Hinsdale Middle School open house would take place, as scheduled, on Monday, February 3, with school resuming the following day.
As school board president Marty Turek acknowledged, asbestoshas become a scary word. Despite having been banned in the 1970s, the hazardous material is still frequently discovered in buildings constructed prior to the ban. Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer that is almost always fatal.