About 20 years after asbestos installation was banned by U.S. government regulation, contractors and health officials, including those at the University and in State College, are continuing to deal with the maintenance and removal of the material.

"There's asbestos in large numbers of buildings, not just in University Park. It was so common in the 1940s and 1950s. It's very strong, very long-lasting," said Maurine Claver, manager of the University's Department of Environmental Health and Safety.

Because of the materials' prevalence on campus, the department keeps no official log of every building where asbestos can be found but regularly inspects all University buildings for asbestos, Claver said. When renovations are done, the department makes recommendations about where asbestos might be found and what to do if it is there, she said.

"There's just asbestos everywhere," Claver said. "The ultimate inventory of asbestos in all (University) buildings is difficult."

The only health hazard is crumbling or flaking exposed asbestos, Claver said, adding that in buildings, asbestos is not a problem if left intact. He added that disposing of toxic chemicals from University laboratories is more of a problem for the department than removing asbestos.

The department keeps records of building asbestos inspections on file "often for decades," so contractors will be prepared if buildings are being renovated, Claver said. The University has been removing asbestos on campus for 11 years, she added.

All asbestos has been removed from student rooms and lounges in the dorms, a process that took several years and was completed this past summer, Claver said. In some cases, entire summers were devoted to removing asbestos in one building, such as Thompson Hall, which had asbestos in each room.

The University has a small crew that removes asbestos in piping and loose installation but hires contractors for larger jobs, Claver said, adding that she and another person in the department spend about 50 hours a week on asbestos inspection and paperwork.

Any asbestos found in an area being renovated is removed following Environmental Protection Agency standards, which involve isolating the area and filtering the asbestos from the air, Claver said.

The landfill where the University takes the removed asbestos charges about $10 for each 3-by-4 bag of the material, Claver said.

Many buildings may have asbestos hidden behind piping or walls, so if a question arises about any unidentified white material found in buildings, it is assumed to be asbestos, Claver said. Because the material has so many uses, it often appears in unexpected places, she added.

"We've had to tell contractors, we think it's behind this ceiling; if it is, do this; if it isn't, do this," she said.

For buildings in the borough, the Housing Code and Appeals Board acts as a mediator between building owners or contractors and the Department of Environmental Resources, said Lisa Miller, a spokeswoman for the board.

"We don't address asbestos -- the DER does; the only thing we do with asbestos is that the DER requires we fill out paper work when buildings are being demolished or renovated," Miller said, adding that the borough keeps no records of asbestos removal in the area.

The borough is responsible for a "handful of buildings," including the municipal building, library and fire station, said Mark Henry, sanitation officer for the state Board of Health. The remodeled library has no exposed asbestos and asbestos is currently being removed from the municipal building, Henry added.

Owners of private buildings and residences have no obligation to remove any asbestos, unless the Health Department is called in on a complaint, Henry said, adding that normally the amount of asbestos in a private home would be too small to be considered dangerous under the state's emission standards.

"Normally in a home or apartment you wouldn't have large quantities of it," Henry said. "It's only a problem if fibers are released in the air and breathed in."

The University has filed claims as part of a suit against Manville Corporation, the world's largest producer of asbestos, which went bankrupt in August 1982, Claver said, adding that University attorneys are involved with the details of the claim.

The University received forms from the corporation to submit claims for the money spent on asbestos abatement, maintenance and operations of buildings with asbestos and laboratory analysis of materials suspected to be asbestos, Claver said.