Danvers – Demolition of a 3-story Danvers High Dunn Wing has been postponed because of the finding of asbestos material in the adhesives used for gluing in windows. The plan was to tear down the building prior to the beginning of school. However, now the demolition will take more time. It could be finished by the end of September, according to Wayne Marquie, the Town Manager. Now efforts are ongoing to get rid of asbestos prior to the demolition of the building. The wing was constructed as a middle school in the 1970s. It has had constant issues with walls, windows and ventilation systems. For the last 2 years, it has also housed the high school though work is continuing on the US$71 M construction and renovation program. The wing should be demolished for making way to the last phase of construction of the high school. Once the dangerous mineral was found in the adhesive material for windows, a licensed asbestos professional was hired by the contractor for coming up with plan to remove it. The asbestos abatement plan has to be submitted to the state DEP (Environmental Protection), said Marquis. The report has been completed. Marquis says he believes the tearing down to start in 7 days. The asbestos material was used as additive in the adhesive, which was holding the windows of the Dunn Wing in place. One bricks row, which is attached to windows, is affected by it. Differently from the asbestos-containing ceiling tiles, the asbestos present in window adhesive is not dry and it can’t be airborne so easily. Asbestos in the ceiling tiles can become airborne quickly. The plan for handling the asbestos present in the glue is absolutely simple, according to Marquis. The bricks holding the windows are going to be pulled out as one unit. Then it will be stored away from all other demolition substances. After that they will be separately disposed of. In structures before the 1980s, asbestos was a common presence in various products like this. Asbestos is strong, flexible, heat- and fire-resistant, durable, and cheap mineral. All these wonderful properties made it a very popular industrial and construction material. Despite all these good features, several hazards also are linked to asbestos that were revealed in the 1980s. Asbestos can cause fatal diseases including cancer. Once the risks became known, the use of the substance also became restricted. Now asbestos is a highly regulated material. If asbestos is present in a structure, it should be removed by a licensed company before proceeding with the demolition process.
