Roughly halfway through last year, Enloe began removing asbestos from locker rooms in the West Gym.
Asbestos is a class of small, needle-shaped fibers that have been proven to cause lung cancer, asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other diseases. The material was commonly used in older buildings, and can still be found in many of them today.
Asbestos serves as an efficient insulation, as its fibers are small, strong, flexible, and fire resistant; thereby, asbestos was used in almost every component of a building. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, it is estimated to have been used in more than 3,000 different products.
In the 1950s, manufacturers and the United States Government first became aware of the health issues caused by asbestos (Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America). However, it wasn’t until July 12, 1989, that the EPA passed Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), banning the use and production of most asbestos-containing products in the United States.
Despite the ban on asbestos, it continues to be imported and used in the United States, but at lower levels than in the past. However, educational buildings like Enloe High School that were constructed prior to 1989, still contain asbestos.
Enloe’s West Building was constructed in 1962, followed by the East Building in 1965. In 2006, the final addition of the West Building, The Towers, was built. In these older buildings, asbestos has been abundantly identified and documented. In fact, this is a common instance, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that asbestos containing materials can be found in approximately 31,000 schools across the country; however, it is not always considered dangerous:
“ The presence of asbestos in a building does not mean that the health of building occupants is endangered. If asbestos-containing material (ACM) remains in good condition and is unlikely to be disturbed, exposure will be negligible..” (Environmental Protection Agency).
This means that unless the asbestos-containing material is friable: can be easily crumbled or reduced to powder by hand pressure, it is not necessarily dangerous. As the EPA states:
“Friable materials are more likely than nonfriable materials to release fibers when disturbed or damaged. Although nonfriable ACM is of less immediate concern, it should not be ignored. Fibers will be released if nonfriable material is cut, drilled, sanded, or broken during building repairs or renovation” (Environmental Protection Agency).
Prior to construction in education buildings, schools are required to remove all possibly-intrusive asbestos.
In a large asbestos abatement plan in 2017, prior to the renovation of sections of Enloe, asbestos was found in mass numbers. Both friable and non-friable asbestos were either removed, encapsulated, or enclosed. (see Figure 1 and Figure 2).
Figure 1- ACM found in locations throughout the “West Building” in a 2017 abatement inspection. (Asbestos Abatement Technical Specifications)
Figure 2- A variety of asbestos-containing materials highlighted in the 2017 Asbestos Abatement Plan blueprints. Schematics show “Building A” commonly referred to as the West Building. (Asbestos Abatement Technical Specifications)
In 2023, Enloe had a removal of asbestos in the locker rooms beneath the West Gym; however, the most recent publicly available record of asbestos removal is from 2019. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health stated in their inspection that some sections of the school building were closed due to Asbestos Removal.
According to Paragraph (a) of North Carolina’s Administrative Code 10A NCAC 41C .0604: the management plan shall identify, locate, classify, quantify, and assess asbestos containing building materials. And they must notify parents at least once a year on the status of the ACM; however these notification lack data (See Figure 3):
Figure 3- 2023-2024 Asbestos Annual Announcement.
Parents and residents must be notified as these hazards like PCB and asbestos cause severe health issues. According to The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: when ingested or inhaled, asbestos can cause scarring in the lungs resulting in Asbestosis, lung cancer, and Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that doesn’t appear until 30 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos. These are all irreversible effects that can drastically inhibit people’s lives.
Abiding by the regulations set by the Wake County Environmental and Grounds Department, schools must share their asbestos abatement plans and there are three methods to prevent the danger of asbestos: removing, encapsulating, or enclosing (See Figure 4).
Figure 4- Photo of asbestos encapsulation and asbestos enclosure.
Encapsulation of asbestos is the most common method of asbestos abatement as it is much more cost effective than removal. The process of encapsulation is described as: “A specialized encapsulation material or coating is applied to the ACMs to create a protective barrier. This may involve spraying, brushing, or troweling the encapsulation material onto the ACMs, depending on the type and condition of the ACMs” (Asbestos Consultants). This is considered safe as it protects friable fibers from becoming airborne; although, these installations can still be disturbed through construction and require routine inspections.
NC State, a nearby university that is similarly old, has experienced similar issues. In 2023, dangerous amounts of PCB were located in Poe Hall. PCB is found in caulk, paint, glues, plastics, fluorescent lighting ballasts, transformers and capacitors.PCB can cause serious health effects, including cancers such as liver, breast, and skin cancer, weakened immune systems, reproductive issues, neurological defects, and endocrine disruptions.
This was a monumental event as it has led to over 100 cases of cancer among individuals who spent time in the building. This led to its classification as a “cancer cluster” (DeMent Askew Johnson & Marshall, LawyersThe lawyers that ran the lawsuit against NC State)
Mandy Blackmon, a previous employee at Poe Hall attests to the difficulties of being exposed to health hazards:
“I’ve been an NC State employee since 1998; I was only 19 years old when I became a full-time staff member at NC State. I have been dealing with pretty severe health issues off and on since 2015 and have had some conditions progress significantly since 2020. I’ve been through two out-patient procedures (2015 – 2017), a partial hysterectomy (2020) and two other colorectal surgeries in 2023.
My understanding is that all of the conditions I have, many of which are autoimmune related, are health issues that may be caused by PCB exposure. All of which lead to the procedures and surgeries between 2015 – 2023.
My issues and difficulties are nothing in comparison to the numerous faculty, staff, and students from decades in Poe Hall who have battled, are still fighting, or have lost their battles to cancer.”
Blackmon was an employee in Poe Hall from April 2015 through May 2022 and worked 40 hours or more per week. Even though she was no longer an employee at Poe Hall when the information about PCBs were confirmed, she did not receive an alert, a health screening, or anything from NC State. She was only notified through general news outlets and previous coworkers.
Asbestos and other hazardous construction materials are ruining the lives of students and faculty across the country and the information is difficult to find.
It’s extremely important to have easy access to records on located instances of dangerous asbestos. Asbestos and other hazards will continue to be a problem and as institutions move to contain it, members of the community ought to be informed.
While many schools are inspecting and renovating to address these risks, the process can be complicated and costly. Despite these obstacles, it is important to create safe learning environments, especially for our medically vulnerable youth.
“The scariest thing for me is that we really don’t know the full extent of the damage from exposure, as all of us may develop additional health issues anytime in the future.” -Mandy Blackmon, Previous Employee at Poe Hall.
Further Reading:
CBS:
WRAL
WCPSS / NC Regulation Information
https://www.wcpss.net/Page/50746
EPA About Asbestos
https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/learn-about-asbestos
Enloe Files
https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=maintenance
http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac.asp
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18e5hDy5IckaQo6vnSFB0R7BBtlTR10Cj/view?usp=drivesdk
