A building located on the Central Washington University Campus in Yakima, Washington that was closed due to asbestos contamination back in the late 1990’s will soon reopen as the university’s first “green” building. Asbestos and other toxic materials have now been removed from the building.

Materials containing asbestos were commonly used throughout the early twentieth century in the construction of buildings. The dangerous nature of the substance was not realized until the 1970’s. It was around that time that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created by congress and the use of asbestos began to become regulated.

Exposure to disturbed asbestos-containing materials poses a significant risk of developing any one of a number of asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Effective treatment options for such diseases are rare due to their long latency period. Many times the diseases have reached an advanced stage by the time that initial diagnosis occurs.

Much of what was used to construct the new Dean Hall is recycled materials such as wood, concrete, and metal reused from the old building.

Spokesperson for Central Washington University Bill Vertrees has stated that the new green building is expected to cut energy use by twenty percent.

According to university officials the new Dean Hall is going to house the Museum Studies, Geography, and Anthropology departments. The building is scheduled to be ready for use by the time students’ return to school in January.

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