Vinyl composition tiles that had been tested positive for the presence of asbestos are being removed now from Elliott Hall Bldg. A.
The renovation project is still ongoing. The university is working to
inspect as well as test every university building that contains or may possibly contain asbestos materials as part of an effort for
maintaining the safety and health of staff, faculty and students.
Structures built before 1980 may possibly contain asbestos or asbestos products. Hornsby, Arnold, Laurel halls and Burleson are some of the buildings constructed before 1980.
Don Compton, the associate director of Facilities Planning, Design &
Construction, agreed the talk that asbestos is present in many
on-campus buildings is not just a rumor, but a fact.
“It is a fact that now most of us are well aware of the substance. But it does not imply that none of us are being exposed to asbestos,” Compton said.
In the case of Elliott Hall, it is not sure whether the tile of the
building had been damaged physically or whether the glue of the tile had become exposed. Kyle Estes, the associate director of Housing & Residential Life, said asbestos and asbestos-containing substances have been removed earlier from the B Building of Elliott Hall.
According to the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), vinyl floor tiles and sheet floorings are very common ACMs (asbestos-containing material).
According to Estes, first campus-wide asbestos testing in buildings
started 10 to 15 years back, and it has been constantly updated since that time. Compton says testing reports are there for every on-campus building, which contains asbestos or materials containing asbestos.
Katie Eskridge, a Texas alumna, said that she stayed in the Elliott
Hall Bldg as a fresher. “I was moved in by my parents and told that something had been wrong,” said Eskridge. According to Eskridge, she was sick the whole time she stayed in dormitory, and for the very first time, she was diagnosed with a lung disease (bronchitis). Eskridge said she could find a connection between her diseases and her (former) living place after moving to College Inn from the Elliott Hall. She said the symptoms of the disease remained for one month, but she didn’t inform it to any hall officials.
Compton suggested concerned residents to report any health problems that they think to have a connection with the hall building to a hall staff.