PHILIPSBURG--Demolition of former Prins Willem-Alexander Primary School is scheduled to begin soon. School officials discovered asbestos in certain parts of the school a few years ago and the building was abandoned as a result.
Asbestos is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally in the environment as bundles of fibres that can be separated into thin, durable threads. These fibres are resistant to heat, fire and chemicals, and do not conduct electricity.
These fibres are easily inhaled and carried into the lower regions of the lungs where they can cause fibrotic lung disease (asbestosis) and changes in the lining of the chest cavity (pleura).
Education Minister Silveria Jacobs said on Wednesday that the school had been abandoned when it was found out that there was asbestos and now plans to demolish the building will commence.
The special-needs school moved to Belvedere in 2014, leaving the building in St. Peters unoccupied. The Daily Herald understands that children from the district continue to play on the property on a daily basis.
The effects of asbestos on the children and the pupils who attended the school is still unclear, but it is known that it can cause illnesses on a long-term basis.
Source: Daily Herald
Former primary school to be demolished due to asbestos
