Asbestos in ACC campuses

When one thinks of old buildings, does the word "asbestos" come to mind? It might have crossed your mind as you walked through the halls in some of the older Austin Community College campuses. Currently, the Rio Grande Campus and Pinnacle Campus are the only two campuses that have asbestos containing materials (ACM). The other campuses, such as Riverside Campus, have had asbestos abatements to minimize the hazards the mineral presents to students and faculty.

In the past, ACM - materials that contain more than one percent asbestos - were used widely as construction and insulation materials in buildings due to their stability in the environment and their durability. Because asbestos fibers are naturally occurring, small, and can remain in the air for days, virtually anyone can be easily exposed to asbestos. However, they do not pose a serious health concern unless they are inhaled in large amounts, where they have the potential to cause cancer or diseases of the lung. Asbestos is most hazardous when it is easily crumbled, releasing its fibers into the air.

According to Rebecca Cole, Director of Environmental Health Safety and Insurance for ACC, the only two ACM in Pinnacle are found in some mastic materials - putty-like substances that act as a filler and sealant used to insulate water lines and to install some sinks. As for Rio Grande, there are three ACM: window glazing used to hold the window panes in the window frames, black mastic material used to attach tile to the base flooring, and a large cement pipe that runs through the center of the building. Cole said that this pipe has not been used since 1916 and might have been a part of an old incinerator.

The presence of asbestos, along with lead paint, is hindering any renovations that can take place at Rio Grande. Hence, this has become an increasingly important issue to the ACC administration. To add to that, abatement requires the area to be contained. In the Main Building, the fresh air system that serves the entire building needs to be shut down, rendering the entire building uninhabitable. In other words, abatement can only occur during breaks, which would considerably delay any pertinent renovation projects.

"ACC utilizes a proactive in-place management program for its asbestos," Cole said, which means that a program "is in place to ensure that the day-to-day management of the building minimizes the potential disturbance of any asbestos fibers, and that when any asbestos is found to be in poor repair, appropriate action is taken to contain or abate the asbestos containing materials."

ACC's Asbestos Management program aims to control and minimize student and faculty exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. So far, this program has been quite a success; ACC has taken steps to ensure that the asbestos in all the campuses is being slowly removed.

The ACC Safety Manual online has a Web site on asbestos, which can be accessed on any ACC computer at http://www.austincc.edu/ehs/Safety%20Manual.htm. This contains the ACC Asbestos Management Program and locations of ACM. For more information about asbestos from the Environmental Protection Agency, visit http://www.epa.gov/asbestos