Asbestos abatement could cost up to $1 million at the old West Elementary School building in Youngstown, Ohio.

That princely sum is the most recent environmental engineering estimate for removal of the toxic substance. The asbestos present in the building must be carefully removed under controlled conditions. All asbestos removed from the building will need to be specially disposed of in designated landfills as part of the demolition process for the building, which is 81 years old.

The $1 million estimate is actually much lower than the initial estimate, which came in around $2.2 million, according to Tony DeNiro, the assistant superintendent for school business affairs.

The original survey of the building indicated a significant amounts of asbestos in the plaster on the walls of the building. This would have made the asbestos removal more extensive and more expensive than a normal building demolition.

However, the newest survey shows that the amount of asbestos in some of the walls is within acceptable limits, and therefore the cost of the removal will be much less than previously estimated.

The issue of asbestos in schools is a nationwide problem, as over 35 million buildings - including homes and commercial buildings - are laden with asbestos materials.

Asbestos removal is often costly due to the extensive precautions that must be taken to ensure that the asbestos does not become airborne. Airborne asbestos particles can lodge in the lungs, leading to asbestosis or mesothelioma.

Asbestos was once a common component of building supplies such as tiles, siding, fireproofing, and insulation. Asbestos has been banned in dozens of countries, but it has not yet been banned in the United States.

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