Management at New Brunswick Community College in Bathurst ordered the evacuation of students and staff from the main building early Tuesday due to the possible presence of asbestos inside its walls.
The works carried out in the basement of the building would have contributed to releasing asbestos fibers into the air, explained Pierre Zundel, president and general director of the CCNB.
“On Tuesday morning dust was discovered coming from a tunnel; We suspect it contained asbestos. As a precaution, we ensured that students and staff were evacuated from the building.
A specialized company was commissioned to carry out tests to assess whether there was indeed asbestos. He should deliver the results of his tests on Tuesday night.
CCNB management has finally decided that the main building on Bathurst’s rue du Collège will remain closed on Wednesday pending recommendations from air quality experts.
The health risks associated with asbestos have been known for a long time; Asbestos fibers present in the air constitute a clear risk to the health of those exposed to them.
If the results of the tests for the presence of asbestos are positive, the CCNB management could begin distance learning for its students and order decontamination work.
“I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, I don’t know what the extent of the cleanup work would be if there really was asbestos. We could go into virtual mode for a few days, everything is hypothetical,” said Pierre Zundel.
It should be noted that the evacuation notice also affects students and staff at the University of Moncton’s Bathurst campus, Shippagan campus.
However, the Youghall pavilion and the CCNB headquarters are not affected by the measure.
