Asbestos in Colorado schools

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos in Colorado schools, by C.A. Baldwin, H.J. Beaulieu, R.M. Buchan, et al (Public Health Reports, 1982).

The study

• Authors: C.A. Baldwin, H.J. Beaulieu, R.M. Buchan, H.H. Johnson
• Journal: Public Health Reports
• Published: 1982;97(4):325-31
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Free full text
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 004631).

Abstract

Forty-one public schools in Colorado were drawn at random and surveyed for asbestos-containing materials. After bulk samples of possible asbestos materials from the schools were collected and analyzed, the K2 asbestos screening test was used to eliminate samples that did not contain asbestos. Samples with positive results on the K2 test were analyzed by an outside laboratory by polarized light microscopy. The risk of potential exposure presented by these materials was then assessed for each site from which a sample was taken. Of 113 samples collected, results were negative for asbestos for only 10.6 percent by the K2 test. Of the 101 samples for which results were positive, 56 actually contained 1 or more forms of asbestos. Twelve of these 56 samples were from sprayed material; the remaining 44 were from other materials containing asbestos. Of the 41 schools sampled, 31 had asbestos materials in one of more locations. The potential exposure values for these materials ranged from very low to very high, but the majority had high-exposure potentials. Estimates based on the survey of the 41 schools indicated that 63 to 89 percent of the public schools in Colorado have asbestos materials that present potentially serious hazards, not only to the children, teachers, and staff, but also to members of the community who use the school buildings after regular school hours.

In plain English

The authors surveyed 41 randomly selected Colorado public schools, about 3.2 percent of the State's 1,263 public schools, for asbestos-containing materials. They took 113 bulk samples of friable materials such as ceiling tiles, pipe lagging and sprayed materials. The K2 Asbestos Screening Test was negative for only 12 samples (10.6 percent). Of the 101 positive samples examined by polarized light microscopy, 56 contained asbestos, 12 of them from sprayed ceiling surfaces. The fibers found were chrysotile, actinolite, amosite and crocidolite. Thirty-one of the 41 schools had asbestos-containing material, and 10 of these had sprayed-on asbestos ceilings. Scores for the potential for fiber release in the areas where asbestos was found ranged from 7 to 18. The authors noted that these scores did not show health risk or how many fibers might be released. They estimated that 63 to 89 percent of Colorado public schools might have friable asbestos materials and 10 to 38 percent sprayed-on asbestos (95 percent confidence intervals). The authors concluded that, if the schools surveyed were typical, a serious problem existed that could result in adverse health effects in the future.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Survey of randomly drawn public schools. It used walk-through inspection and bulk sampling, screening with the K2 Asbestos Screening Test, confirmation by polarized light microscopy, and a scoring system for exposure potential at each sampled site.
• Who was studied: 41 public schools in Colorado, drawn from five regions and seven school districts. They were about 3.2 percent of the State's 1,263 public schools. 113 bulk samples were collected from them.
• Exposure: Friable building materials that might contain asbestos, including ceiling tiles, pipe lagging, sprayed materials, and jackets on boilers and furnaces. Asbestos types identified were chrysotile, actinolite, amosite and crocidolite.
• Main results:
  • The K2 screening test was negative for only 12 of the 113 samples (10.6 percent). The authors noted this differed from the roughly 41 percent negative rate reported by the test's NIOSH developers. They suggested the difference may partly reflect difficulty interpreting the test's color variations.
  • Of the 101 K2-positive samples examined by polarized light microscopy, 56 (55 percent) contained asbestos.
  • 12 of the 56 asbestos-containing samples were from sprayed surfaces on ceilings. The remaining 44 were from other materials, primarily pipe lagging.
  • The asbestos types found were chrysotile, actinolite, amosite and crocidolite. In non-sprayed materials, amosite ranged from less than 1 to 60 percent of the material. Crocidolite was found only with amosite, never alone.
  • 31 of the 41 schools had asbestos-containing material in one or more locations. Of these 31 schools, 10 had sprayed-on asbestos ceilings.
  • Potential exposure values for the areas where asbestos was found ranged from 7 to 18. Under the scoring system, values of 6 to 8 indicated negligible or no exposure potential, and 9 to 19 indicated that corrective action should be considered.
  • From the random sample, the authors estimated that between 63 and 89 percent (95 percent confidence interval) of Colorado public schools might have friable materials containing asbestos.
  • The authors estimated that 10 to 38 percent (95 percent confidence interval) of Colorado public schools might have sprayed-on materials containing asbestos.
  • 35 of the 41 surveyed schools were used after regular school hours by students and the community. 26 of these 35 were found to contain friable asbestos materials.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that if the exposure values for the small number of schools surveyed were typical of other Colorado schools, a serious problem existed that could result in adverse health effects in the future. They estimated that as many as 1,124 (89 percent) of the 1,263 public schools might have asbestos in friable form.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The exposure-potential scores represent only the potential for fibers to be released. They do not reflect health risks from airborne asbestos or how many fibers might be released.
  • Only a small number of schools were surveyed. The statewide conclusions depend on these being typical of other schools in the State.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM), Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM).

Related studies

• Airborne asbestos in Colorado public schools — D.A. Chadwick, R.M. Buchan, et al. (1985)
• Asbestos in Vermont schools: findings of a statewide on-site investigation — L.F. Novick, C. Rice, et al. (1981)
• Asbestos hazard evaluation in Rhode Island schools — G.A. Faich (1980)
• Asbestos in New York City public school buildings--public policy: is there a scientific basis? — R. Wilson, A.M. Langer, et al. (1994)
• Airborne asbestos levels in school buildings in Italy — A. Campopiano, S. Casciardi, et al. (2004)
• Update on asbestos in schools — G.G. Gilbert, C.S. Scatarige (1983)

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