Cathedral asbestos contained

Asbestos problems arose last month because of the cleaning of the Cathedral of Learning,… Asbestos problems arose last month because of the cleaning of the Cathedral of Learning, when a film studies office had partially damaged asbestos insulation inside a radiator box.

Jennifer Florian’s English department office was one of two rooms where custodians originally found asbestos while working to stop window leaking above the radiators.

The custodians opened the enclosure around a radiator that sat beneath a window in Florian’s office and found insulation material that contained asbestos.

Asbestos, used in insulation in older buildings, can cause lung diseases like scar-tissue buildup and loss of organ function when fibers become airborne if it is disturbed during renovations or demolition, according to the U.S. Department of Labor website.

Because Florian’s office had an exposed portion of asbestos affected by the leaking and posed a potential health hazard, Florian called Pitt’s environmental health and safety department.

Frank Pokrywka, a health and safety industrial hygienist and an asbestos expert, looked at the problem along with tradesman and said the problem was contained within days.

“It was never a [health] concern,” he said. “The material was such a minor amount, it wouldn’t have been an issue.”

But Florian was concerned with the situation, and she worked at home for two days after learning of the asbestos exposure.

“It was disturbed or airborne,” she said. “They told me I could still work in the office, but I felt uncomfortable with it.”

Now, the asbestos is encapsulated in the office, and Pitt health and safety plans to address any more asbestos concerns as they arise.

“We have a practice of abating it when we find it,” Pokrywka said, adding that 100s of buildings on campus probably have contained, unexposed asbestos in them that is not dangerous.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to reduce asbestos exposure to the lowest level possible and record all noted instances of employee exposure for 30 years.

In the Cathedral, some floors still have asbestos sealed under old radiator covers, under floor tiles or in pipe insulation. But many floors have been renovated in the past, and the asbestos was removed then, Pokrywka added.

The Hillman Library is currently undergoing renovations inside and outside, and the asbestos that lies under the first floor rotunda will be removed.

Pokrywka said the underside of the old decking at Hillman had asbestos, but the material is now being gutted during renovations on that chance that it may be disturbed.

As for other health concerns related to the construction projects, a potent smell permeates some rooms with leaks, so much so that offices in some departments were sealed off until ventilation was possible.

According to building cleaning professional Ed Perry, such smells come with the territory of using chemical methods to clean, such as the glass-infused water on the Cathedral.

He added that years of ingrained dirt removed from the limestone facade may contribute to the odor hanging in the air.

Also, project foreman Rich Novicki said the cleaning solution “won’t hurt at all.”