Elevators Open to Public

Elevators at William James Hall reopened Tuesday morning after crews worked around the clock to clear the shafts of asbestos over the long weekend.

The elevator cars and the air in them were uncontaminated, University officials said.

The building's three elevator shafts were cleared of asbestos to allow workers to install new elevator doors on each floor without exposure to the fibers, said Dean R. Gallant '72, assistant director for facilities of the Center for Behavioral Sciences.

Asbestos fibers in the shafts were located in dust on steel beams, in the pores of the cement walls, and on other mechanical parts of the elevator.

Officials said that the cleanup poses no risks to occupants of the building, which include the Psychology, Sociology and Social Anthropology Departments. "We believe the building is completely safe for the people who are in it," Gallant said.

Five-year Plan

Independent of the elevator cleanup, an ongoing project to clear the building of asbestos fibers began four years ago, Gallant said.

Installation of sprinkler systems legally required for high rise buildings would have disturbed asbestos fibers originally sprayed above the ceilings as fire-insulation, Gallant said.

Five of the building's 15 floors have been cleared. Gallant estimated that the building will not be completely asbestos-free until the year 2002.

The cleanup is a "very regulated and disciplined operation," acting Director of Physical OPerations in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael N. Lichten said.

According to Gallant, any work that would disturb the asbestos fibers is done in a containment chamber which seals the work area from the rest of the building.

Workers wear protective gear to prevent exposure to the particles, he said.

Quarterly air tests conducted by Harvard Environmental Health and Safety have consistently shown that air within the building is safe, Assistant Industrial Hygienist Nancy A. Barbour said.

Gallant said the building will continue to be monitored throughout the project.

"We have to be vigilant. We need to keep an eye on the ceilings and make sure people don't go above the ceilings unless they have taken proper precautions," he said.

Barbour said that the Environmental Health and Safety department will also continue testing the air inside the building.

"We go through a lot of pains to make sure the occupants are protected," she said. "It's taken very seriously."