Air quality precautions temporarily shutter small number of UF offices, laboratory
Select areas of the Medical Sciences Building at the University of Florida were back in business Friday after closing temporarily Thursday afternoon because of asbestos concerns.
UF’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety secured three areas of the building Thursday after air tests during routine asbestos abatement revealed higher than regulatory-approved levels for long-term occupancy. Subsequent tests overnight showed a more limited area was affected including a mechanical room and a small, localized area near the elevator on the basement, ground and first floors.
On Thursday, the first-floor Department of Ophthalmology Visual Science Lab, the morgue and autopsy suite on the ground floor, and Department of Physiology laboratories on the ground floor were immediately closed. Filters were installed and displaced employees were granted administrative leave. No patient areas were affected.
Asbestos fireproofing in a sub-floor steam tunnel connected to the mechanical room by a conduit shaft is believed to be the source. That area has been sealed.
All air samples of offices or rooms were within regulatory safe limits for long-term occupancy. The UF Medical Sciences Building contains research, administrative, service and teaching units for Health Science Center colleges.
“It was important we take these proactive steps because the health and well-being of our employees is our foremost concern,” said Curtis Reynolds, UF’s vice president for business affairs, which includes facilities and the university’s office of Environmental Health & Safety. “We will ensure that the affected areas will not reopen until they are safe.”
“Asbestos” is a generic name given to six naturally occurring minerals that have been used for decades in thousands of commercial products for its strength and fire-resistant properties, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Long-term exposure to asbestos fibers has been associated with respiratory problems, including lung cancer.
Provisions are being made for employees who would like to learn more or receive a medical examination. Cleaning and air testing will continue through Monday in hallways on the basement, ground and first floors, which may cause detours for some employees or require them to use alternative entrances to their work areas.
“Typically asbestos-related diseases are associated with exposure for an extended time, and most individuals at risk are individuals directly working with asbestos,” said Mark Brantly, M.D., chief of the division of pulmonary medicine at the College of Medicine. “It was prudent to quarantine the immediate area surrounding the work site until the testing could be completed.”