An elementary school was recently shut down in Bel Air due to the discovery of airborne asbestos in the buildings.

School officials reportedly discovered the presence of asbestos in two of the buildings on the school’s ground.

Asbestos Discovery

The discovery was made at Homestead-Wakefield Elementary and authorities were called in to test the air quality.

Crews found the asbestos while they were installing an air-conditioning system in the main lobby of one of the buildings.

Reports claim that the pipes above the ceiling tiles were lined with asbestos.

“When the tiles were removed, it disturbed what have been dormant fibers,” explains Don Morrison, spokesman for Harford County public schools. “When we discovered what had been done, we brought in an industrial hygienist and found that we did have levels of asbestos fibers higher than the allowable limit.”

Federal Guidelines

Federal guidelines supposedly require less than 70 structures per square millimeters in terms of the amount of asbestos fibers in the air.

However, documents show that two of three tests done at the school indicate the area had 82 and 104 structures.

(Source: Baltimore Sun)

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