Asbestos found in Edmonton high school, students and staff may have been exposed: letter

Students and staff at an Edmonton high school may have been exposed to asbestos.

Students and staff at Jasper Place High School may have been exposed to asbestos after a wall was taken down in the boys football locker room by a non-staff member.

• Download our app to get Edmonton alerts on your device

This initiated an investigation as the project wasn’t authorized and led the division to test for asbestos, Jasper Place High School principal Kim Backs said in a letter to parents on Monday. The incident happened mid-March, before spring break.

The test came back positive for low levels of asbestos in the drywall joint compound that was removed from the school.

“While this work happened earlier this year, the air handling unit for the space was shut off, isolating any air flow from this space to other areas of the school,” Backs said in the letter.

“Maintenance staff also replaced the air filters in the school.”

Students and staff who helped clean up the locker room and remove the hazardous materials may have been exposed to asbestos and have been notified, the principal said.

Asbestos is a natural occurring fiber that’s mined from the ground and can pose serious risks like lung cancer if it’s released into the air and inhaled.

“I understand this news will be concerning for families and I share your concern. Our division has clearly defined expectations and procedures when it comes to hazardous materials and in this case, they were not followed,” said Backs.

“On behalf of the division and the school, I apologize.”

The school says the boys locker room and surrounding areas were professionally cleaned by a third party contractor. Any equipment that couldn’t be cleaned was removed and thrown out.

The school air quality has been tested and is clear.

Moe Barzagar with First General Edmonton says looking at the levels of asbestos is a problem.

“When you demolish that wall, all that dust is becoming airborne and you’re breathing that in. So instead of focusing on the percentage of asbestos, it’s more important to focus on how much of it has become airborne,” Barzagar told CTV News Edmonton.

Barzagar says if people were exposed and a HVAC system was circulating the fibers throughout the school, it’s a “big concern.”

“If it’s not operating and if it’s isolated to that one area and those fibers are not able to travel throughout the rest of the building, that’s a totally different scenario.”

The school is still investigating who’s responsible for knocking down the wall.