Dear Campus Community,
As most of you know, our campus experienced a fire in the 2600 building, the morning of May 23, 2023. This fire unfortunately rendered the building unusable, but the silver lining is that it was a building already slated for demolition this fall in order to make way for the new STEAM building. You can read more about the fire here.
Facilities brought PBS (contractor for environmental surveyor) onsite to conduct 4 tests: soil, air, surface, and floor.
Soil Test:
Initial testing of the soil came back with good results that did not indicate any further clean-up, which means that it won’t impede construction.
Air Quality Assessment:
Air quality was all measured in several ways and all of the results were below applicable occupational exposure limits.
Surface Test:
PBS measured surface pH levels on representative materials salvaged from the fire in 2600. All sample locations tested between 5.0 – 7.0 on the pH indicator chart. This is an indication that no significant corrosive particulate residues had accumulated on the materials.
Floor Test:
PBS collected surface dust samples at representative locations throughout the interior of the 2600 building. Laboratory analysis identified low levels of asbestos on five (5) of the six (6) samples collected. Although there are no regulatory thresholds for the amount of asbestos in surface dust, researchers believe concentrations below 1,000 structures/cm2 (s/cm2) are unlikely to result in elevated exposures. Further testing is being conducted.
Out of an abundance of caution, Building 2600 is being permanently shut down with no access to anything in the building going forward. No employees, students, or visitors are allowed inside.
We’ve confirmed that the equipment that was removed previously has been surface tested with clear results and has all been cleaned.
Thank you for your patience in this matter. If you have any further questions, please contact:
Director of Facilities | Kimberlee Clark kclark@shoreline.edu
Acting Director of Safety & Security | Gregory Cranson gcranson@shoreline.edu
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