While officials, parents, and students at a Vermont middle school are waiting to find out whether asbestos clean up can be done in time for school to open at the end of August, it has been revealed that the company responsible for the release of asbestos fibers at that school may have allowed asbestos to be released at other Vermont schools as well.

A story aired on WCAX-TV quoted health department officials as saying that South Barre-based Morrison-Clark failed to follow protocol for removing asbestos tiles at the Main Street Middle School in Montpelier. In addition, the company may have done the same at the elementary and middle schools in nearby Barre Town and an elementary school in Williamstown.

Chris Crothers of the Crothers Environmental Group says that Morrison-Clark isn’t the only construction company that’s not obeying asbestos laws by improperly moving the toxic material. “It happens more than most people know,” he stressed, and many of these incidents go completely unnoticed, he added.

Lisa Lamoreaux, whose son goes to Williamstown Elementary, is quite concerned about the situation, especially since that school did not close after the asbestos removal as did the school in Montpelier.

“Your child’s health is a priority and why aren’t our children any more important than Montpelier or Barre? It just doesn’t make any sense,” said Lamoreaux.

Morrison-Clark has refused to comment on the incident. In the meantime, Montpelier School District officials say 30 people were inside the middle school when the toxic tiles were being removed, including 10 students.

“The risk is minimal because the amount of exposure is minimal. One-time exposure will likely not create any problems for people who encountered it, but there’s not way to know for certain,” said Chris Crothers.

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