A Silent Pollutant

Our plain-English summary of A Silent Pollutant, by K. Young (1972).

The study

• Author: K. Young
• Published: Health Services World, September-October (1972)
• Type of article: Journal article
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library, J-M no. 004334. The article is still under copyright, so we describe it here rather than post it.

In plain English

This 1972 Health Services World article was a news report, not a research study. It described the closing of Northside Elementary School in Lander, Wyoming, on Friday, April 11, by order of state health and school officials. About 520 pupils moved to other schools for the rest of the term. The school, built in 1961, was a steel Quonset-type building with sprayed-on asbestos insulation inside that students could reach. After the school librarian noticed dust on furniture, the state asked the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to inspect. Inspectors reported that asbestos fell from the ceilings intermittently, that asbestos dust could be wiped off furniture, and that ventilation intake filters were clogged with asbestos fibers. They called further exposure for these children imprudent and hazardous to health. The measurements did not exceed the standards then in effect. Officials were still concerned, citing the opinion that exposure at any level increases possible chances of cancer. Replacement of the insulation began June 19, costing just under $52,000, financed through a local bond issue.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: News report on a government building inspection; not a research study
• Who was studied: About 520 pupils at Northside Elementary School, Lander, Wyoming (school built in 1961); the year of the closing is not stated
• Exposure: Sprayed-on asbestos insulation coating the interior of a Quonset-type steel school building, directly accessible to students; fiber type not named
• Main results:
  • The school was closed by order of the Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services and the State Superintendent of Schools
  • NIOSH inspectors found that asbestos dust could be wiped from schoolroom furniture
  • The ventilation system recirculated room air and its intake filters were clogged with asbestos fibers
  • The measurements found in the building did not exceed the standards in effect at the time of the closing
  • Renovation to replace the asbestos insulation began June 19 at a cost of just under $52,000
• The authors' conclusion: The NIOSH investigators, as quoted in the article, considered any further asbestos exposure to these children imprudent and hazardous to health. State officials acted on the opinion that exposure at any level increases the possible chances of cancer.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: NIOSH.

Browse return to medical research.