Former Magnolia School: Fact Sheet #1

              Former Magnolia School
Fact Sheet #1
September 2005
Magnolia, Illinois
Introduction
Based on the human health threat from exposure posed by the dilapidated, asbestos-containing former
school located at the corner of Maple and Monroe in Magnolia, the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency (Illinois EPA) will demolish the building and cleanup the site using both Federal and State
funding. Due to the condition of this former school, it is highly likely that asbestos fibers are being
released to the environment allowing for an exposure to humans. Therefore, this exposure warrants
corrective action.
Site History and Background
This once functional and prospering school, has become not only an eyesore, but also
a threat to the community it once served. The school was built in 1912 after two
schools built prior were destroyed by fire. It closed in approximately 1960.
The imminent threat from the former Magnolia School is the asbestos exposure and
physical hazards to trespassers and nearby residents. Collapsed floors, roofs and walls
make it impossible to secure or abate this building therefore demolition is the only option for eliminating
the threat.
The Threat from Asbestos
The imminent threat from the former Magnolia School is the asbestos exposure and physical hazards to
trespassers and nearby residents. Collapsed floors, roofs and walls make it impossible to secure or
abate this building therefore demolition is the only option for eliminating the threat.
Any level of exposure to asbestos involves some health risk, although the exact degree of risk is difficult
to estimate. The relationship between exposure level and health risk is complex. When the fibers enter
the air, individuals can be exposed and inhale the fibers. Those fibers retained by the lungs will remain
indefinitely. Exposure to high levels of airborne asbestos is associated with a debilitating lung disease
called asbestosis; a rare cancer of the chest and abdominal lining called mesothelioma; and cancers of
the lung, esophagus, stomach, colon, and other organs.
Children and young adults who may be exposed to asbestos have a greater chance than older people of
developing certain asbestos-related diseases due to a longer remaining lifespan during which disease
may develop. Children and young adults are most often those involved in the trespassing and vandalism
at the former school.
Corrective Action: Using Federal and State Funding
􀁺􇩔 The corrective actions to be completed by SI Group, a licensed asbestos abatement
contractor, involve:
1. abatement of asbestos-containing material, where safe,
2. wet demolition which requires wetting of the building material throughout the
demolition activity
3. sealing of asbestos-containing materials in leak tight containers; and
4. air monitoring (which counts fibers suspended in the air) during the
demolition.
􀁺􇩁 All asbestos material will be disposed of at a properly permitted landfill. At the landfill, the
material is buried and covered immediately with six inches of compacted soil to prevent further
Zoom
Zoom
Fact Sheet #1 - Former Magnolia School Page 1 of 2
http://www.epa.state.il.us/community-relations/fact-sheets/magnolia-school/magnolia-scho... 5/24/2012