No asbestos danger found in Pattee

By JENNIFER NEJMAN
and PATRICIA TISAK
Collegian Staff Writers

Rumors, not asbestos particles, floated through Pattee last week.

A subcontractor who thought asbestos particles were located in 102 Pattee told some library staff members the particles might be dangerous, said Penn State spokesperson Vicki Fong. It was determined there was no asbestos in that room, Fong added.

"That information was incorrect," Fong said in an e-mail. "There is no health hazard associated with Pattee."

However, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety's survey of Central Pattee ceilings found one patched ceiling area in 401 Pattee contained asbestos, Fong said.

Standard procedures will be applied in the removal of that asbestos, which will not pose any threats to students or members of the library staff, she said.

Asbestos, once a common building material but now known to cause cancer, was found in vinyl floor tiles in 103 Pattee at the end of December, Fong said. The tiles subsequently were removed from the room, which has been closed since December, she said.

The library was closed at the time of the tile removal, said Stephanie Schmidt, project manager for the Office of Physical Plant.

To quell employee and contractor fears about 102 Pattee, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety held a meeting at the end of last week, said Michael Burke, industrial hygiene specialist for the office.

Collegian Staff writer Daryl Lang contributed to this article.