VENTURA : Asbestos Screenings Sought by Teachers

Ventura Unified School District officials are scheduled to negotiate today with the teachers union about providing X-ray screenings that would test teachers for exposure to asbestos.

Teachers at Buena High School in Ventura first raised the issue, said John Gennaro, president of the 660-member Ventura Unified Education Assn.

Don Buffon said he and other faculty members at Buena High School became concerned last year when maintenance people wore protective outer wear, including masks, to remove asbestos from components in the school’s heaters.

“We are concerned. We don’t feel that it is a rampant kind of thing. We don’t know. We are asking the district to provide us with the means to determine if there is any reason to be concerned,” Buffon said.

Asbestos, which has been linked to cancer, was used throughout the country for insulation under floor tiles, around pipes and in roofing until it was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1978, district officials said. Asbestos fibers can pose health problems if they are released into the air and inhaled.

But tests conducted at the school have shown “no releases of asbestos,” said Gary Mortimer, director of facilities for the district. The district inspects schools for asbestos twice a year, he said. A number of maintenance employees have been tested for asbestos exposure, and all tests were negative, Mortimer added.

District and union officials are also slated to discuss the impact of class-size reduction, said Dr. Richard Averett, assistant superintendent in charge of human resources for the school district.