OPRF officials have reported that asbestos levels are safe after a minor construction-related incident prompted some exposure concerns among contractors on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 10. Students taking a summer theater class were relocated from the auditorium to the Little Theater after contractors became concerned after removing the insulation from piping, according to a statement released by OPRF officials that day.
“Contractors were working in a basement area replacing water supply lines and were cutting out the old piping that was wrapped in insulation,” according to the statement. “After they began cutting the piping, there was a concern that the insulation wrapping the pipe may contain asbestos. The work was immediately stopped and the onsite environmental company was brought in to conduct air quality tests to identify the presence of asbestos.”
Pekron Consulting, the high school’s environmental consulting company since 2010, performed a Transmission Electron Microscopy analysis that determined the “results of the air sampling were below the clearance levels set by the U.S. EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and the IDPH [Illinois Department of Public Health],” according to a statement by the school released Thursday, June 11.
Pekron also determined that the high school auditorium “and associated areas” are safe for students and staff to use.