Asbestos Traces Found at Van Nuys School

Van Nuys’ Grant High School’s football game was canceled Friday night because inspectors found possible asbestos contamination in the gymnasium, locker rooms, multipurpose room and faculty dining room, officials said.

Los Angeles school officials ordered more inspections this weekend at the 3,400-student campus and alerted parents that the school may be closed Monday.

Administrators said they canceled the 7 p.m. football game at Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley because Grant team members could not retrieve their uniforms and equipment from the gym.

The latest discovery of possible asbestos exposure at a Los Angeles Unified School District campus came as Palisades Charter High School reopened Friday, a week after it was closed for asbestos cleanup. Asbestos can lodge in the lungs and increase the risk of cancer.

Asbestos abatement crews continued to work Friday at Roosevelt High on the Eastside, and officials said it could reopen Monday.

“We are working as quickly as possible,” said Shel Erlich, a district spokesman.

He cautioned that safety inspectors will continue to search schools for asbestos, which has been found at five other schools.

The discoveries were made while inspecting schools throughout the district for damage from the Oct. 17 earthquake in the Mojave Desert. Officials said they will continue inspections, because students and faculty may have been exposed as a result of hundreds of construction jobs under way districtwide.

The district has stringent rules to ensure that any asbestos released during construction is removed without exposing students.

At Grant High, administrators said they believe the asbestos exposure is minimal. On Thursday night, inspectors discovered “suspicious areas,” such as a hole in the ceiling.

Students attended classes Friday after inspectors determined that classrooms, the main office and cafeteria were safe, said Assistant Principal Rita Hymes.

Chances that the school will be closed Monday “are pretty slim,” Hymes said. “But you never know for sure.”