Asbestos removal at Cameron Heights safe, officials say

KITCHENER — The removal of asbestos from a Kitchener high school has cascaded into a bigger, costlier project, closing the school for up to three days before it reopens Monday.

“There likely are staff concerned about their safety,” said Trevor Ray, local president for the union representing high school teachers.

But staff and students at Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute face no dangers, say the Waterloo Region District School Board and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

“I think the biggest issue is a misunderstanding of exactly what the dangers are surrounding asbestos, and that we tend to fear and overreact to things that we don’t understand,” Ray said.

“We have a full active team ... that are very much aware of the implications and sensitivity around this, and are working diligently to ensure student safety,” said Matthew Gerard, school board treasurer.

Cameron Heights began renovating its library this summer at a cost of $713,000. Deploying safety procedures, workers expected to find and remove asbestos, commonly installed before 1990 in schools and other buildings for insulation and fireproofing.

They found more asbestos than expected. This delayed completion of the library.

Complications then cascaded into the replacement of ceiling tiles in nearby classrooms and the overhaul of school ventilation units. Unanticipated costs are now estimated at more than $80,000.

Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause cancer, but there are no significant health risks if materials are left sealed and undisturbed, public health experts say.

“Asbestos in its undisturbed form is not a cause for concern for us,” Gerard said.

The risk is when asbestos is removed. The renovations at Cameron Heights highlights challenges around that.

Safe removal involves wetting materials to minimize the release of dangerous fibres. When this was done in the school library, water leaked into classroom ceilings below. The board then had to replace ceiling tiles. This work was done before students returned to classes following the summer break, the board says.

The use of negative air pressure helps prevent the spread of fibres. Air quality is also tested. In assessing air, the board discovered that certain ventilation units at the school are fireproofed with an asbestos spray.

To provide safe maintenance access to those units, asbestos spray was to be removed starting Friday, while there were no classes because of teacher professional development.

The board expects the school to reopen Monday pending the all-clear. Library renovation will continue into the fall. “There has not been significant disruption to the school,” Gerard said.

The teachers’ union is confident all safety regulations were followed.

“All test results show that air quality standards have been met and exceeded,” Ray said.