The Armstrong School District in Western Pennsylvania is considering the demolition of an old high school in Rural Valley but is concerned by the fact that the structure, now functioning as a storage warehouse, is littered with asbestos.

According to an article in the Kittaning Paper, the former Shannock Valley High School has become a danger to anyone who steps inside. Bill Henley, director of facilities and properties for Armstrong School District, says the structure, built during an era when using asbestos in schools was commonplace, has seen “better days.”

“What I’m being told by the experts is that that building is loaded with asbestos. Asbestos is crumbling in it now – the floor tiles are lifting and as you walk on it, it crumbles,” Henley explained. When you crumble asbestos, it gets in the air and becomes dangerous.”

The building also has a leaky roof and, in some areas, holes allow workers to see daylight from inside. This, and the presence of a large amount of toxic material, has caused the district to move the majority of the items stored inside to another location. However, anyone who worked inside the old school when it functioned as the main warehouse for the district may have been exposed to crumbling or “friable” asbestos, which produces airborne fibers and is easy to inhale. Once inhaled, it can become lodged in the lungs and cause diseases like asbestosis. It may even cause cancerous tumors to form.

District officials fear that demolition costs will be high, especially given the presence of asbestos, which will need to be removed before the building is torn down. Furthermore, asbestos must be removed by contractors who are trained and licensed in asbestos abatement, which limits those who can bid on the project and drives up the price.

District solicitor Lee Price has told the school board that the price will indeed be governed by the fact that so much asbestos is inside.

“What ever way’s cheaper is going to be the factor,” Price said. “With some demolition companies, if you tell them you are demolishing a building, they will give you a bid, but if they find out there’s asbestos, they are going to say they aren’t even qualified to deal with it.”

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