As a final community update on this incident, please be advised that asbestos abatement from the construction-related contamination at Cowell and Stevenson colleges has been completed. PPDO and EH&S inspected 295 rooms or areas in which the contractor had worked. Of these, 35 were found to have minor dust and debris from the construction activities, while one area was found to have major dust and debris (greater than three square feet, per regulatory criteria).
All rooms found to contain dust and debris from the contractor were cleaned per regulatory standards, including HEPA-filtered vacuuming and surface wiping. Air samples were then collected in these rooms to verify that airborne asbestos concentrations were below the conservative criteria set for public K–12 schools. All air sample results were well below regulatory criteria.
In almost all areas, the plastic containment used during the cleaning process has been removed, restricted occupancy tags have been removed, and locks returned to their original keys (where applicable). The remaining areas, the Cowell dining hall and Stevenson event center, are expected to be released for resumption of regular activities early next week.
Dining Services will require several days to prepare the Cowell dining hall and Stevenson coffee shop for regular service. At this time, service is expected to resume on Thursday, April 11.
Thank you for your patience throughout this process. Please contact cowell-closure@ucsc.edu with any questions or requests for assistance. Additional resources are listed below:
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) information on asbestos - https://www.epa.gov/asbestos
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) health information on asbestos - https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/
- Status of impacted buildings and rooms - https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/03/cowell-stevenson-rooms.html
- Prior campus messages - https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/03/cowell-closure-updates.html
- To receive more information from the campus regarding potential health impacts or to meet with an occupational physician, complete this form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1urw-hARxEz05QCyIWt4mmRQUAsSf1LTn2ySBtiQBJKQ/edit?ts=5c952d43
Campus messages
- April 4, 2019—Final update on construction-related asbestos contamination incident at Cowell and Stevenson Student Commons
- March 29, 2019—Campus dining options during closure of Cowell/Stevenson Dining Hall
- March 26, 2019—Update on construction-related asbestos contamination incident at Cowell and Stevenson Student Commons
- March 22, 2019—Update on construction-related asbestos contamination incident at Cowell and Stevenson Student Commons
- March 22, 2019—Construction-related asbestos contamination incident at Cowell and Stevenson Student Commons
