Asbestos Management
Many William & 玛丽 buildings constructed before 1985 contained asbestos, including floor tiles, mastics, HVAC duct tape, pipe insulation, roofing, spray-applied ceiling textures, ceiling tiles and drywall taping compounds. The materials present little to no health risk when left alone and undamaged. The current W&M asbestos policy is to manage asbestos containing materials in place.
The EH&S Office maintains a database detailing known locations of asbestos containing materials. If you have questions about a particular location, contact the EH&S Office prior to disturbing the material.
Asbestos Risks
Asbestos is a known carcinogen (cancer causing agent). Asbestos has no smell or taste, and asbestos fibers are so small that they are not visible to the naked eye. Asbestos becomes a health risk when the materials are disturbed and microscopic fibers become airborne and are inhaled. The fibers can lodge in the lung or other body tissues and cause serious illnesses, including mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer) and asbestosis (a progressive fibrotic disease of the lungs caused by relatively heavy exposure to asbestos). Symptoms of these diseases can take 30 to 40 years to appear.
