Asbestos in Vermont schools: findings of a statewide on-site investigation

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos in Vermont schools: findings of a statewide on-site investigation, by L.F. Novick, C. Rice, M.A. Freedman, et al (American Journal of Public Health, 1981).

The study

• Authors: L.F. Novick, C. Rice, M.A. Freedman, D. Jillson
• Journal: American Journal of Public Health
• Published: 1981;71(7):744-6
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 004672).

Abstract

Materials containing asbestos were found in 75 per cent of 336 Vermont Schools constructed or renovated between 1946 and 1974, with two-fifths of the materials in student exposure areas. Findings from visits to all schools contrasted with an earlier investigation relying on self-reporting. Of 105 schools with student exposure disclosed by the current survey, only eight had been identified in the earlier effort. Ceiling tiles, previously not believed to contain substantial asbestos material, constituted a source of student exposure in 36 schools.

In plain English

In 1979 the Vermont Department of Health sent a trained inspector room by room through all 336 Vermont schools built or structurally renovated between 1946 and 1974, looking for materials that might contain asbestos. Bulk samples were examined with a petrographic light microscope. Of 1,208 samples, 542 (45 per cent) contained asbestos. In all, 251 schools, three-fourths of those visited, had asbestos-containing materials, most often pipe and boiler insulation. In 105 schools these materials were in areas where students could be exposed. In those areas most positive samples contained chrysotile, and amosite and crocidolite were also found. Suspended ceiling tiles contained some asbestos in 34 schools. The authors compared their results with a 1977 survey in which school officials reported on their own schools. Of the 105 schools with student exposure, only eight had been identified in 1977. Of 21 schools with asbestos spray-on coatings, 13 had never been identified. The authors concluded that self-reporting missed the problem in most schools where students could be exposed.

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: Statewide on-site inspection survey of school buildings with bulk sampling (1979), compared with an earlier 1977 self-report survey
• Who was studied: All 336 Vermont schools constructed or structurally renovated between 1946 and 1974, inspected in 1979
• Exposure: Asbestos-containing building materials (pipe lagging, boiler covers, suspended and non-suspended ceilings, spray-on coatings, other items), identified in bulk samples by petrographic light microscopy. Fiber types reported were amosite, chrysotile and crocidolite.
• Main results:
  • 251 schools, three-fourths of those visited, had asbestos-containing materials
  • Pipe and boiler insulation was the most frequent use of asbestos
  • Of all 1,208 samples collected, 542 (45 per cent) were positive for asbestos
  • Of the 105 schools found to have asbestos-containing materials in student exposure areas, only eight had been identified in the 1977 self-report survey
  • 21 schools had asbestos spray-on coatings. 13 of these were never identified in 1977 because school officials did not recognize the material.
  • Suspended ceiling tiles contained some asbestos in 34 schools. Ceiling tiles were a source of student exposure in 36 schools.
  • Among 210 positive samples in student exposure areas, 142 contained chrysotile, 36 amosite and 3 crocidolite. A further 29 were listed under hardboard.
  • The EPA verified the ceiling tile results by repeat analyses
  • The survey cost $26,330 in total, or $78 per facility
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the self-report approach failed to detect the problem in most schools where students could be exposed to asbestos-containing materials, and that uniform inspection gives more accurate identification.

Related studies

• Update on asbestos in schools — G.G. Gilbert, C.S. Scatarige (1983)
• Asbestos in Colorado schools — C.A. Baldwin, H.J. Beaulieu, et al. (1982)
• Exposure to Amosite-Containing Ceiling Boards in a Public School in Switzerland: A Case Study — D. Vernez, O. Duperrex, et al. (2019)
• Tribal Odisha Eye Disease Study Report # 6. Opportunistic screening of vitamin A deficiency through School Sight Program in tribal Odisha (India) — L. Panda, S. Nayak, et al. (2020)
• 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)

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