Test show bancroft school is safe

Bancroft, Minnesota â€" Students at North Kossuth Elementary school will finish out the year at their own school after all. Initial air quality tests that found dangerously high levels of asbestos in the school were subsequently found to be falsely positive. North Kossuth Elementary School in Bancroft, Minnesota was closed down after the results of asbestos testing came in on Monday April 28. The results of the tests indicated that asbestos levels in the school were higher than what is generally considered to be safe. In one classroom, asbestos levels up to ten times higher were noted. Asbestos levels up to one thousand times higher than what is considered safe were shown in a hallway on the school’s second floor. After viewing the test results, school district officials decided that North Kossuth should be closed down. Superintendent Mike Landstrum said that the school board didn’t want to have to close the school, but the reports of those tests were worrying enough that it had to happen. School officials didn’t want to take any chances that might end up compromising the health of students and staff. However, a third series of air quality tests completed on Monday May 5 showed that there was not a measurable level of asbestos present in the second floor of the building. Landstrum said that the first tests had shown falsely positive results because they were not specific enough. The initial tests targeted all airborne fibers, instead of just asbestos fibers. Landstrum admitted to being shocked about the results of the first tests that had shown asbestos levels up to one thousand times higher than safe levels, and even more shocked when the next series of tests showed no asbestos at all. Tom Wuehr, a representative of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Health Services, explained that the initial tests picked up not only asbestos, but also other fibers such as hair, lint, and dust. Wuehr also said that after the results of the second series of tests he is confident that they are valid and that there is not a dangerous level of asbestos present at North Kossuth Elementary. Parents were informed of the new test results at a meeting on the evening of Monday May 5. Most were relieved and were reassured that the school was safe, but others were angry about the disruption to their children’s education and still had concerns about the safety of the school building. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)