I don’t know the answer but not as surprised; the physical conditions at many schools is disturbing imo. Dead rats, damp air, dangerously hot, moldy…… former public school employee worked in several different districts

Do you have access to the records you name? That records on this have not been updated means nothing, since it is possible that all asbestos containing materials may have already been removed over the course of the many years since it was recognized as a problem. White ceiling tiles are very common even in new facilities. Even a professional very familiar with matters surrounding asbestos in buildings would call for a laboratory test for asbestos containing materials before getting concerned about the existence of such. You may be able to get an engineering report on the matter for a specific school by working through whichever state office provides engineering services for schools.

(Local construction manager here) I do a lot of medium to large scale work, and schools/colleges being a large chunk of my resume.

Can you elaborate on your question? Are you asking if there are regulations about asbestos existing in your building? Are you asking what to do if it’s exposed?

To expound on your 2nd part of the post; asbestos is not a safety issue until it is airborne. The fibers are released when actively disturbed, usually during demolition. So as long as you aren’t actively smashing stuff, you don’t need to “update records about the asbestos”, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. You are even allowed to sell property that has asbestos in it.

Safely removing asbestos material, is called “Abatement”. There are many licensed companies to can be hired to safely remove the material, but keep in mind, surgically removing asbestos is often more expensive than just saving up money and renovating/gutting the entire space.

As to what “tiles with white stuff exposed” means, you need to be more specific. That could mean anything.

Typical locations where you’d find asbestos are; popcorn ceiling, sealants like caulking, MEP insulation, steel fireproofing, and the list goes on. There are also testing companies that test and give reports on what materials the find are contaminated, or as we say “Hot” in construction terms. But it sounds like your school already had that done.

I’ll end with reiterating, asbestos is not a problem until it becomes airborne. So don’t go smashing stuff up and tearing things apart and you’re fine.

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AHERA? Off the top of my head, I don’t know the requirements but I know the information is found buried somewhere at the EPA.

From my limited knowledge, it’s documenting where the “hot material” is and having an execution plan for removal or repairs to it. As a contractor, my company is usually the one managing the final steps of whatever that plan is; my specialty is MEP Systems with a focus on Renovations.

For the decay part, I generally lean toward the “No, it’s not an immediate concern.” Asbestos is a fiber, not a gas, and is harmful when inhaled. So it’s not like an “off-gas” or “radioactive material”. If it goes airborne, typically is can hang around for 2-3 days, which is why you have specialized companies to dispose of it safely.

A similar situation is lead paint. Off hand touching lead paint is not a problem. But when it starts to deteriorate, that’s when you’ve got an issue.

www.epa.gov

As a side note;

I’m a contractor and I like replacing/rebuilding things instead of putting bandaids on problems. However that is often a discussion that is tied to money, so I don’t envy anyone that has to make evaluations like this.

Turns out, behind the scenes, things are really complicated and often not a simple “fix it” situation.

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Wellll don’t feel too bad, asbestos does give ppl cancer sometimes

Asbestos in the dust? Meaning the base material is deteriorating and falling away on its own?

Referring back to my lead paint comparison, it’s not harmful on its own, but if the host material is deteriorate then you got a problem. (Materials deteriorate from a number of factors. It’s New England so my assumption is humidity and temperature swings)

Now we’re talking. Hell yea; that’s an issue if the ceilings are falling apart and needs to be addressed. At the very least it’s probably worth the money to get that stuff retested and evaluated by a consultant. Get ahead of the problem before you end up with an investigation on your hands.

I wouldn’t toss a drop ceiling at it to cover it up. If the hot material is deteriorating, it’ll just build up on the ceiling tiles and when a tile gets moved, you inhale a boatload of asbestos.

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The "owner" of the school almost certainly has a relationship with an architect and/or engineer who handles technical matters like this. They may have the reports or other documents. It might be difficult getting access since your inquiry might be perceived as a possible legal quagmire. If approached professionally, you might be successful. In my experience in other jurisdictions, before many architectural or engineering projects can be started, an asbestos survey is required. That survey would entail collecting and testing samples of all suspected asbestos containing materials (ACM) which would be disturbed in the course of the work. If ACM are identified, an abatement plan must be developed and completed before the main work can get underway. One important point is this: the mere existence of ACM is not a real problem. ACM becomes a problem only when it is disturbed. If you had a pinch of any given material, you could find a laboratory which could examine your sample and determine if it contains asbestos, etc. Given the technical nature of your concern, coupled with the legal implications of real or imagined issues, you may want to step carefully going forward. Good luck.

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Being old material isn’t always a given for deterioration. You can have stone walls or concrete decks and show zero signs of degradation over 100 years. Usually the biggest factor to degradation is exposure to the elements like temperature changes, humidity changes, etc.

If there is any asbestos in the materials your working with/around, you need a licensed professional to handle it. Having unlicensed people work around knowingly “hot material” is immediate grounds for a lawsuit, so don’t let parents try to solve it themselves.

If the ceilings are visibly deteriorating or flaking away with minimal effort, it’s probably best to hire a testing firm to reevaluate the status of the hot material and advise/recommend furthers steps.

As a reminder: the presence of asbestos in a building is not a problem. When it gets loose and airborne, that’s when you have an issue.

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