Renovation work leaving CHS students in the dust

COLUMBUS - A student was hospitalized as a result of the Columbus High School renovations, but school officials said it was an isolated incident.

On Jan. 31, Beth Buresh, a junior, suffered from a severe asthma attack and was admitted to Columbus Community Hospital.

Carmel Andreasen said her daughter's asthma attack was brought on by the debris in the air.

“There was dust everywhere,” Andreasen recalled Beth telling her. “She has asthma anyway,” but the particles aggravated her condition.

She said her daughter's difficulty with asthma escalates during the school year.

“During the summer, she only needed her inhaler,” Andreasen said. “Once she started back to school, she had more asthma problems. Last year they put her on two more medications for her asthma. This year, she was on five.”

Andreasen said she was concerned for her daughter's health and safety, but she was also worried her education would be affected.

“I am worrying about her grades,” she said. “(Beth) misses so much school, and that puts her behind.”

Andreasen asked the school to take corrective action.

“I wish they could block it all off ... and somehow vacuum that stuff out,” she said, “so the dust doesn't float around to the rest of the school.”

Fred Bellum, liaison officer for the high school, said the circumstance that led to Beth's asthma attack was an isolated incident, and corrective action is being taken.

“A contractor was cutting tile in the hallway, not thinking about the fact that students were using that hallway. It was corrected as quickly as possible,” Bellum said. “We want all our cutting to be wet,” but sometimes a contractor does not always take the necessary precautions.

“Those things happen, unfortunately,” he said, “but we are making a very strong effort to minimize it.”

Aside from that particular incident, there is not an air particle problem, Bellum said.

“We are maintaining the dust at the level that is not a threat to health,” he said. “We are not working with materials that are considered a health hazard, except for some asbestos abatement, which is carried on according to federal requirements.”

The renovation process is currently going through a lot of demolition, which will continue through the end of the school year, but the dust particles are within an acceptable level, Bellum said.

“There is going to be dust, but we don't feel it is at a level that is a health hazard,” he said.

CPS also is facing a $50,000 settlement demand by a former student, Jennifer Munford, for “failure to protect Ms. Munford from environmental dangers resulting from the construction project at Columbus High School while she was in attendance.”

The claim states, “Ms. Munford suffered severe asthma attacks as a result of her exposure to airborne particulates caused by the construction project at your facility during the 2004-2005 school year,” resulting in hospitalization and continued medical treatment during the school year.