University of Montana closes McGill Hall Thursday for additional asbestos testing, cleanup
The University of Montana closed McGill Hall Thursday morning "until further notice" after test results for asbestos showed levels "above cleanup standards" set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the campus.
"It's not an indicator of health risk, but we knew we were at levels at various places in the building where we would need to do wide-scale cleanup, and the best course of action would be to close the building," UM spokeswoman Paula Short said Thursday.
Asbestos fibers were found "in settled dust," Short said. The test results, which showed a wide variation of asbestos levels, were posted online at https://news.umt.edu/2019/01/mcgill.php.
Short said samples taken from above a light fixture, a place not regularly cleaned, showed high levels, but other places more frequently wiped were below acceptable levels. "We're treating it like all of it will need to be cleaned,'' she said.
Read more: https://missoulian.com/news/local/university-of-montana-closes-mcgill-hall-thursday-for-additional-asbestos/article_88839ae6-63f6-51a4-88c3-f36a6b93dbad.html