Throughout the Rowley Hall renovation project, Marymount University is working diligently to ensure the safety of building occupants, as well as the contractors working with the University.
Part of the project involves abatement – the process by which hazardous materials are removed from a building. Most buildings built in the decades after World War II, including Rowley Hall which was built in the 1960s, contained hazardous materials such as asbestos (used for insulation of boilers and pipes and in ceiling tiles) and lead paint. The removal of such materials is controlled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OSHA, and state and local regulations.
Before abatement in Rowley Hall began, Marymount submitted a plan that was reviewed and approved by Arlington County. Abatement work must be done by a state-certified abatement contractor. A third-party (independent) testing firm must be hired to monitor the work that is performed by the abatement contractor. Extraordinary precautions must be – and have been – taken to protect any occupants of the building undergoing abatement, as well as the abatement workers.
Marymount’s abatement contractor was required to provide equipment that creates negative air in the spaces being abated; that is, air can come into the spaces, but cannot escape from them. Further, the contractor was required to seal all openings both within and leading out of the building. The testing firm was required to place equipment throughout the spaces to monitor air quality. This testing is done in real time; that is, the air is monitored and the results recorded constantly, 24/7. Marymount receives daily logs of the work performed by the testing firm and daily reports of the air quality testing.
The abatement work in Rowley Hall is expected to be completed in early February.