South Hull School:
Asbestos situation is “under control”
The asbestos situation at South Hull School in Aylmer is “under control”. This is the message from Pascal Proulx, the Western Quebec School Board’s (WQSB) Director of Buildings, who manages the Board’s asbestos file.
“The risk is extremely low. I would never say there’s no risk, because there is asbestos in the school, but if we control the situation, there’s no problem,” he insisted.
As reported by the Bulletin, the engineering firm WSP, hired by the WQSB, identified five areas where asbestos was found during the school’s inspection in May 2015. Some asbestos was removed this past summer, but some remains in other places in the school.
“There’s asbestos in the plasterwork, certain floor tiles, and around heating pipes. Everything is still in good condition; in one case, (a wall) was moderately damaged, but the risks remain very low,” detailed Mr Proulx. “The walls that had holes, or were damaged, were repaired. There are no walls where dust is released. We advised the staff not to install anything on the walls. For example, not to use a drill to install a board. If someone uses a push-pin to fix a piece of paper on the wall, there’s no problem. What’s dangerous is to use a mechanical tool that creates dust.”
Asbestos is said to be dangerous only when it is friable and releases fibres or dust into the air. Asbestos fibres and dust cause most health problems when breathed in. Therefore, asbestos must be enclosed or tightly bound, which is why it’s important the area where the asbestos is found be kept in excellent condition to avoid having dust particles released. According to Proulx, the asbestos found in other areas of the school is practically harmless.
“For the heating system, it is being changed in two phases. We removed asbestos in the mechanical room last summer. In the second phase, this coming summer, all the asbestos which provides insulation around heating pipes will be removed. That’s the big part of the project, because this asbestos is friable -- if we touch it, it produces dust. The risk remains extremely low because teachers and students don’t have access to the heating pipes, or the asbestos there, and are unable to disturb it,” said Proulx.
“For the floor tiles, again, as long as we don’t drill through the tiles and don’t create dust there’s no danger. Even if the tile breaks, it does not produce dust; it is not harmful. Now, we change the tiles whenever they break; we will change them all when we renovate the whole school in three years (summer 2020). I’m not worried about the floor tiles because they don’t produce dust,” he stated.
Compared to the Commission scolaire des Portages-de-l'Outaouais (CSPO)’s St-Paul school, which was closed due to asbestos, Mr Proulx said there’s no similar risk at South Hull.
“We carry out regular maintenance and ensure the school is well maintained. WSP will return in February and provide another report this coming summer,” promised Proulx.
The Director of Buildings is pleased that the removal of asbestos is now required by law. In 2013, new health and safety regulations required public institutions to locate flocking containing asbestos in all structues built before February 15, 1990; and report insulating material containing asbestos in those built before May 20, 1999. Last December, the federal government announced a ban on asbestos and asbestos-related products, effective in 2018.
