Asbestos was recently found in adhesive holding down the floor tiles in the KSUA production room in Constitution Hall.

The discovery of the asbestos in the floor tiles was a result of an extensive renovation of the KSUA offices that cost $20,000. The renovation includes the replacement of the carpet and the installation of countertops.

The remodel was stymied when the man who was pulling out the carpet discovered that the floor tiles below were being held down by black mastic, one of the many signs of the presence of asbestos.

"The guy kind of looked scared and then left," said Nick Brewer, the general manager of the campus radio station.

Since the carpet remover left, work on the office has come to a stand still. The room is sitting unused with the carpet partially removed, but it isn't partitioned off.

Sean Bledsoe, the KSUA program director, was accepting of the loss of the production studio. Until the room is fixed, KSUA is unable to record public service announcements.

"It is somewhat inconvenient but it is rather unavoidable because it is the way that the university buildings were designed," Bledsoe said.   

David Miller, head of the Asbestos Abatement Shop on campus, explained the delay.

"When asbestos is found the EPA has to be notified," Miller said. "It takes about 10 days to get approval and to confirm that it is, in fact, asbestos…If the floor tiles are in place there is no danger."

He described asbestos as a fibrous rock that was used as insulation and fire retardant until the late seventies. The use of asbestos was banned by the federal government in 1978, but the ban did not retroactively prohibit the use of materials that had already been purchased, so stores of asbestos containing materials were used in construction into the '80s.

Most of the buildings on campus predate the ban and any building that has not undergone major reconstruction since the early 1980s has the potential for containing asbestos. The library is believed to be asbestos free as well as Duckering and the Brooks Building.

In the Moore-Bartlett-Skarland Complex, the electrical access panels in the bathrooms have warnings about the potential for airborne asbestos if opened.

Asbestos was also discovered in the thermal insulation of the Arctic Health Building earlier this year.

The danger of asbestos comes from the inhalation of the fibrous particles that settle in the lungs and cause a number of health issues, including cancer and asbestosis. Asbestos has to be disturbed to pose a threat to health, so it isn't a concern until demolition or improvement is planned.

The Artic Health Building had thermal asbestos, which makes the abatement more difficult than the tiles of Constitution Hall.

The process of abatement begins when Miller, with a group of trained professionals, sets up the appropriate level of containment, which depends on how hazardous the removal process will be.

The hazard level depends on the type and form of the asbestos. The abatement shop uses a negative air machine with HEPA filtration to ensure that airborne particles are contained, Miller said.

"We make sure there is no migration of the air out of the area," he said.