Central Valley Elementary School, located in Monroe, New York, will undergo a $100,000 asbestos abatement project. The asbestos removal was approved by the Monroe-Woodbury School Board as part of the district’s $12,150,000 renovation project.
The costly project will help increase energy efficiencies in buildings throughout the district, and include upgrades such as updated heating systems and new windows. Buildings which predate the consolidation of the Monroe and Woodbury school districts will undergo the renovations, reports The Photo News.
The asbestos abatement will make the district’s buildings safer for students and staff members. Asbestos is a highly hazardous material, most commonly found within older facilities’ roofing, drywall and tile flooring.
When disturbed, the toxic material poses a serious health risk to those exposed. Diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma have been known to form from extended exposure to the hazardous material, and are, in most cases, fatal.
Mesothelioma is the most aggressive asbestos-related disease, known to affect 3,000 Americans each year. The asbestos cancer most commonly forms from the pleura--the internal lining of the chest cavity.
Symptoms of the disease, such as chest pain and shortness of breath, lie dormant for 10 to 50 years following exposure. Because of this, mesothelioma doctors struggle to diagnose patients in the early stages of their disease. Palliative treatments such as mesothelioma chemotherapy and radiation are, unfortunately, only temporary means of treating the disease.
New York State is expected to provide 58% of the overall cost. By reducing energy costs, school officials estimate the project will pay for itself.