An asbestos warning sign posted at Clements High School on March 4 initiated a flood of phone calls from concerned parents. The sign, which was adhered to a sheet of plywood blocking a wing of classrooms, included the words “danger” and “asbestos” and warned of a “cancer and lung disease hazard,” but what truly alarmed students was a line on the sign that read “respirators and protective clothing are required in this area.”
Principal Keith Harrell maintained that the students and faculty at Clements were completely safe from exposure to the contaminated tiles being replaced beyond the plywood. The problem stems from a lack of clarity. “There is no risk to any of our students, our staff, our visitors, or parents on this campus. The students were mistaken because [the sign] said, ‘Danger, respirators and breathing devices needed in this area.’ They did not understand that meant the area behind the signs that has been sealed off, not the hallways in which they’re walking,” Harrell explained.
Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk also attested to the project’s safety. Sisk stated the sign needs to be posted in order for the work to be done legally. “The precautions are there, and it’s a very costly process because we’re doing it by the book,” he said. The tile work is part of a $5.4 million renovation project that will transform the school inside and out. “The company that has been hired to do this is nationally accredited. I want to reassure families that the process is the process, but it’s a safe one.”
As the sign indicates, exposure to asbestos can lead to numerous respiratory health problems, including mesothelioma, which is almost always fatal. Each year, approximately 3,000 mesothelioma diagnoses are made.