MBUSD should be doing more to address asbestos

GETTING THE AS-BEST OF US: Fences block off the Costa Library during the investigation of asbestos contamination. Many students have not been able to check out textbooks and cannot until the library's reopening. Photo by Sheridan McKnight

Mia Cho

Staff Writer

The asbestos in the library has caused a great deal of inconvenience at Mira Costa High School, and legal action by MBUSD should be taken to cover the damage. In the Mira Costa Library the tiles containing asbestos were sanded, resulting in toxic material being dispersed in the air.

Asbestos is typically used in construction, but has been discovered as toxic and can cause cancer. Currently, using materials containing is legal as long as it does not contain more than 1% asbestos. Buildings containing asbestos material are also still legal, since asbestos only becomes harmful when it is disrupted and gets released into the air. Once inhaled asbestos can be extremely harmful causing diseases such as Asbestosis, lung cancer, and many more diseases.

According to The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), schools must be checked twice a year to make sure the asbestos in the buildings have not been disrupted and released into the surrounding air. At Mira Costa, the tiles in the library contained a high amount of asbestos, causing MBUSD to hire Progressive Surface Solutions to cover the tiles with carpet.

The company sanded down the tiles to help create a more jagged surface so the adhesive would hold said carpet and tile together. They started working at 7:00 am on August 17th and stopped barely 4 hours later, when the librarian, Ms. Sullivan, noticed the extreme amount of dust in the air, while students and volunteer parents were borrowing textbooks; inhaling the contaminated air. The company’s irresponsible actions can cost students their lives later in their lives, so correct legal action should be taken.

The day before ENCORP, a company that specializes in Hazardous Material Inspections, issued a statement on the Asbestos in the library stating the tiles contained 5% chrysotile asbestos.

Both the district and contracting company were very much aware of the high amounts of asbestos in the tiles yet they were still sanded down. The company’s careless action could have easily been avoided and a lawsuit would compensate for the inconveniences it has caused. Sanding the tiles were against AHERA Chapter 40 Part 763 Subpart E, where all the provisions schools must take to protect students and staff from asbestos are stated.

Something else that raises concern among students is the district’s concern for students and staff. The district invests in security guards, drug dogs, and do regular sweeps of the bathrooms to ensure no one is vaping. However, the district was unable to make sure the contracting company wasn’t going to release dangerous material into the air.

Legal action by MBUSD would be completely justifiable, as the actions Progressive Surface Solutions took to cover the asbestos did the opposite and spread it throughout the surrounding air and put students and staff in great danger. A lawsuit against Progressive Surface Solutions, if done successfully, would help pay for the amount of books lost due to contamination, cost to clear asbestos out the buildings, and the cost of getting a new carpet to cover the tiles in the library.