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Hazardous materials on your site?

If you are considering renovating an existing building or choosing a new site for your childcare center, there are several hazardous materials you should be aware of and may need to test for. The Environmental Protection Agency website at www.epa.gov offers numerous resources on each of these hazards. These hazardous materials can do permanent damage to a young child's immune system, so seriously consider complying with hazardous abatement guidelines, whether you are required to do so or not.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber. Asbestos may be added to a variety of building products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. Asbestos-containing building materials include fireproofing material (sprayed on beams), insulation material (on pipes), acoustical or soundproofing material (sprayed onto ceilings and walls), and miscellaneous products such as asphalt, vinyl, and cement that are used to make roofing felts, shingles, siding, wallboard and, floor tiles. Friable asbestos, or asbestos that can be crumbled or broken by hand pressure, is of the most concern, because these fibers can be released into the air more readily and inhaled into the lungs.

The presence of asbestos in high-activity public buildings such as child care centers allows the opportunity for inadvertent disturbance -- and the potential for exposure. Frequency of building use can also lead to frequent repairs, which can present exposure potential if not properly managed.

If friable asbestos and fibers are released into the air, there is a potential health risk, because persons breathing the air may breathe in asbestos fibers. Continued exposure can increase the amount of fibers that remain in the lung. Fibers embedded in lung tissue over time may cause serious lung diseases including: asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma.

In 1986, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (commonly referred to as AHERA) was signed into law. AHERA requires public and private non-profit primary and secondary schools to inspect their buildings for asbestos-containing building materials. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published regulations that require schools subject to AHERA to:

• Perform an original inspection and periodic re-inspections every 3 years for asbestos-containing materials
• Develop, maintain, and update an asbestos management plan and keep a copy at the school
• Provide yearly notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations regarding the availability of the school's asbestos management plan and any asbestos abatement actions taken or planned in the school
• Perform periodic surveillance of known or suspected asbestos-containing building materials
• Provide custodial staff with asbestos awareness training

It is the EPA's goal to provide schools with the technical assistance they need to meet the requirements set forth by Congress. Schools that fail to meet the AHERA requirements are subject to civil enforcement action by the EPA or a designated state environmental agency. This law does not apply to child care centers, but the same risks exist.

Lead

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around our homes. Lead may cause a range of health issues, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities to seizures and death. Children younger than 6 are most at risk for lead-related problems.

Research suggests the primary sources of lead exposure for most children are:

• deteriorating lead-based paint,
• lead-contaminated dust, and
• lead-contaminated residential soil.

The EPA is playing a major role in addressing these residential lead hazards. In 1978, there were nearly three to four million children with elevated blood lead levels in the United States. In the 1990s, that number had dropped to 434,000 kids, and it continues to decline. While we still have a significant challenge, the EPA is very proud of how federal, state, tribal, and private sector partners have coordinated efforts with the public to better protect our children from lead hazards.

Since the 1980s, the EPA and its federal partners have phased out lead in gasoline, reduced lead in drinking water, reduced lead in industrial air pollution, and banned or limited lead used in consumer products, including residential paint. States and municipalities have set up programs to identify and treat lead poisoned children and to rehabilitate deteriorated housing. Parents, too, have greatly helped to reduce lead exposures to their children by cleaning and maintaining homes, having their children's blood lead levels checked, and promoting proper nutrition. The agency's Lead Awareness Program continues to work to protect human health and the environment against the dangers of lead by developing regulations, conducting research, and designing educational outreach efforts and materials. You can also order materials that explain lead hazards or speak to an information specialist by contacting The National Lead Information Center (NLIC) at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

Underground Storage Tanks/Soil Contamination

Childcare center sites previously used for other purposes may have a variety of possible contaminates in the soil, depending on the type of activity that once took place on the site. What about previous gas stations, factories, etc.? If you have concerns about your site, you should contact a local firm to assist you with conducting a complete environmental assessment. I know of at least one child care center built on the site of a former gas station, and it had problems with oil seeping through the floor. I know of another person who wanted to open a child care center in a former glue factory - a site that had been abandoned for years. In these types of situations, due diligence must be performed and abatement managed prior to purchasing the site to ensure safety later on.

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