Asbestos Removal Draws Fire From Occupants of Bio Labs

Employees at the Biological Laboratories packed a charged meeting yesterday to register complaints and discuss ways to improve the removal of asbestos from the building.

More than 100 people attended the meeting, where several building occupants complained that the process is creating potential health hazards. But most agreed that recent steps taken by building officials to coordinate the removal has allayed their fears of health hazards.

Fear of asbestos hazards was heightened last year when the Divinity Ave laboratory began a three-year, $25 million renovation effort. As part of the renovation project, workers are repairing pipes, windows, and the air exhaust system, as well as removing asbestos from the half century-old structure.

Scientists working in the labs have recently complained that construction workers have not observed safety precautions in removing asbestos, a common insulating material that has been linked to cancer and other fatal diseases.

Some of the complaints registered at the meeting included the lack of "spot-check" air sample monitoring and poor communication between the construction workers and the scientists.

"The people working on the pipes just aren't taking it seriously enough," said one lab worker.

"I filled out a report two months ago to have them repair a cracked asbestos pipe, and when it was fixed, another crack in the same pipe was ignored," said Mark Skinner, a graduate student who works in the building, adding. "I'm struck by the general blase and negligent attitude of some of the people in EHS [Environmental Health and Safety--Harvard's office overseeing the removal]."

Most occupants, however, said they feel the situation is under control.

"By and large, the system that has been set up has worked remarkably well, given the considerable time pressure," said Professor of Biology Daniel Branton.

"No one in a position of responsibility will say there is no risk, but we're trying to contain whatever risks there may be," said Professor of Biology Ruth H. Hubbard, who chairs an eight-member asbestos committee--a recently established liaison between scientists and construction workers. She added that occupants "should not feel comforted but should be constantly vigilant, and realize this is a problems that has been with us a long time."

"It's a Herculean effort to really try to anticipate every problem," said Branton.

Committee members explained procedures followed in emergency asbestos exposure incidents and reviewed 11 recent actual or suspected cases of asbestos contamination.

The most recent accident occured Monday when a construction worker mistakenly cut into a pipe covered with the insulant. EHS immediately closed off the area and applied "negative pressure conditions" to prevent fibers from spreading. The area was then properly cleaned, they said.

But over the past few months, the committee, University health officials, and building administrators have taken several precautions to insure the safe removal of the subeston--one of which was yesterday's meeting.

The Committee and EHS will hire a full-time "asbestos coordinator" to notify occupants of emergency situations, post signs indicating removal and danger areas, and help coordinate construction," said C. James Ciotti director of the labs.

Thus far, they have received 19 applications which are currently under review, Ciotti said.

"We have been collecting air samples, and except for a couple of incidents, 99 percent of the samples have been safe," said Louis J. Di-Berardinis, the EHS officer in charge of Harvard asbestos removal