The University made mistakes handling an asbestos discovery in the Gorham childcare building, according to a top University official and frustrated parents.
“The parents weren’t happy and we (the administration) weren’t happy. We should have done it differently,” said Craig Hutchinson, vice president for Student Development.
Near the end of last semester the University learned asbestos might have been released into the air and didn’t immediately tell parents. About 50 children ranging in age from infant to six, spent two days in the building before their parents were notified there might be a problem.
Asbestos is a mineral that was commonly used in older buildings before being banned in the late 70s by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It has been proven to cause cancer and other diseases.
Air quality tests taken a day after children were removed revealed the presence of asbestos that exceeded “acceptable levels,” according to Ed Antz, oil and hazardous materials specialist for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, which investigated the case.
Asbestos levels were highest in the basement of the building near the source of the problem, a small construction project that disturbed contaminated tiles. Though children didn’t spend any considerable time in the basement, many entered the building through the basement entrance and some items were taken from the basement into the other floors.
Air tests also revealed the presence of asbestos in other parts of the building, including the kitchen area, the preschool classroom and some hallways.
Antz said that asbestos disease is generally caused by a high dose of asbestos over long periods of time. He said that even though the levels exceeded what is considered acceptable, they weren’t too alarming.
“In a relative perspective the (asbestos) counts were fairly low,” said Antz.
But beyond the asbestos exposure, parents are more upset that the University waited to let them know there might be a risk.
“We’re placing our kids in their care and they’re supposed to be looking out for their best interest,” said Mari Maxwell, whose 6-year old daughter Aoife attended daycare in the School Street building. Maxwell said she became concerned when a childcare employee off-handedly mentioned there might be an asbestos situation on the night of Monday Nov. 12.
Later that night Maxwell called Allyson Dean, program director of Child Care Services, to encourage her to notify other parents of the potential threat. When Dean refused, Maxwell called as many parents as she could to get the word out.
“When I hung up with her (Dean) I called everybody I knew to let them know. I didn’t get a huge amount of alarm, but most of them felt they should know so they could make an informed decision,” said Maxwell.
The next day USM officials investigated the matter and decided to close the building for the rest of the week. But the decision was made after 5 p.m., after many of the children had spent the day in the contaminated building.
USM Arts Events Director Emmanuelle Chaulet’s 6-year old son Lukas attended the Gorham childcare facility.
“My sense as a parent is that yes, there were some mistakes that were made. But after the mistakes were made, they (the administration) recognized it and adjusted fast.”
Hutchinson said there was poor communication among the administration, partly because Monday was Veteran’s Day, a University holiday.
“I think it’s safe to say had we to do this over again, we wouldn’t have resumed (childcare) on Tuesday,” said Hutchinson. “I don’t deny that we could have had better communication. Allyson (Dean) is working with her staff to make sure those things are handled better in the future.”
Gorham Childcare has since been moved to the Hastings Formal Lounge.
Chaulet said she’s glad the children are out of the previous building. Besides the asbestos scare, she said her son developed breathing problems that may be related to the air quality in the basement, where the kindergarten classroom is.
“From the beginning of the year on he (Lukas) kept coughing and having allergy symptoms,” said Chaulet.
She took her son to a doctor who confirmed the allergy-like symptoms and said they may be related to air quality at the childcare facility.
“The symptoms disappeared when they moved to Hastings (Formal Lounge),” said Chaulet. “But it’s difficult to be sure it was that building.”
Hutchinson said “there was clearly a moldy smell” in the building, but that testing was done and didn’t reveal anything dangerous. Officials did replace some wet boards in the basement.
Hutchinson said that even though the asbestos has been removed, childcare will not return to the School Street building.
“I just think there are a lot of opportunities for the building to have problems,” he said. “It’s old. There’s a lot of traffic. I’m just not crazy about that childcare site for a bunch of reasons . And one of the things that an asbestos alert does is make people think what else could be wrong with it. It’s just not a good place for childcare.”
Executive Editor Steve Peoples can be contacted at: [email protected]