UPDATE:

Sue-Ellen Miller, the school district superintendent, says the gym was reopened this morning (Oct. 30), following an air test which found the gym to be safe last night.

She says a similar thing happened at the school in 2005, just before Maple Drive Junior School closed and the ministry is aware of it.

ORIGINAL:

In a letter emailed to parents yesterday, Oct. 29, the school district said a hole in a wall of the gymnasium at the Quesnel Junior School revealed vermiculite.

Vermiculite is described as “a mica-like mineral that was used as insulation in many houses and commercial buildings” between 1920 and the early 1990s. Vermiculite also commonly contains asbestos.

In the letter, the school district wrote vermiculite contains approximately one per cent asbestos.

Asbestos only becomes a health hazard when the vermiculite is disturbed and the asbestos becomes airborne. The letter also says “there is no real risk if the vermiculite is sealed behind walls or isolated in an attic.”

According to the letter, a hazardous materials removal contractor, Concord Restoration Ltd., was called in to remove, clean up, and seal the area. There were no children present in the gym when the vermiculite was found.

The letter says the school is now waiting for the results of an air quality test before they reopen the gym.

The Observer has reached out to School District 28 and QJS for comment and is awaiting their reply.

More to come.

heather.norman@quesnelobserver.comLike us on Facebook