Cancer News, Treatment and Research

Students at the University of Kansas in Manhattan say they’ve been noticing little yellow asbestos stickers going up around campus lately, prompting concerns about whether or not they need to be considering special precautions when entering those areas. Though officials say it’s no big deal, many don’t agree. An article in the student newspaper, The Collegian, reports that asbestos has been identified in the Student Union building on the Manhattan campus as well as in other places including on the fourth floor of Willard Hall and in the basement of Waters Hall. The story points out that the presence of such materials doesn’t come as a surprise since the buildings were constructed during the era when asbestos use was commonplace. Some students, however, wonder why the warning stickers haven’t been in place prior to this. The main reason, officials say, is because discussions of remodeling and expansion of the Student Union building have brought asbestos concerns to the forefront. After research to identify problems with the current building, the stickers appeared and employees were notified of the presence of the toxic mineral but told “it doesn’t pose a threat as long as the ceilings aren’t disturbed.” Employees did indeed note, however, that they now have restrictions on what they can and can’t do in their office. “I can’t have any alterations to my office so that way we don’t disturb it,” said Jenni Jones, assistant director of Greek affairs, whose office is in the Union building. Their department has taken precautions such as not having walls on their offices that go all the way up to the ceiling, she added. “It is too expensive to do anything about [ asbestos removal ] right now,” Jones added. Some students noted that it’s not only the staff that uses the Union building on a regular basis, but they do as well. Most were unaware of the presence of asbestos. Ben Brown, a sophomore studying agriculture economics, said he considers himself a frequent user of the Union building, visiting at least once a day. While he noted no real concern about the presence of the hazardous mineral, he was worried about others who spend more time inside the building. “It’s not like we live there or sleep there. But I would be concerned if I worked in one of the offices and was breathing it everyday,” Brown said, adding that he believes something should be done to fix the problem, perhaps sooner rather than later. Officials note, however, that there have been no confirmed cases of asbestos disease or cancer linked back to campus buildings.