In a country where a large majority of schools were built prior to the asbestos warnings of the 1970s, yet another school closed this week due to the fear of asbestos contamination.

According to an article in the Danbury News Times, officials called off classes at Hayestown Avenue School on Thursday because asbestos was found when workers were repairing a leaky toilet. School administrators said that “a small amount” of asbestos insulation on a pipe was disturbed while repairs were being carried out. Students were not in the school while the work was being done.

Officials for the district say the small amount of asbestos involved is no threat to the children and they hoped to reopen the school of Friday because impromptu air quality tests showed lower than average levels of asbestos in the air, including around the bathroom.

“As a precautionary measure, even though the incident was confined to an isolated area and the disturbance minimal by regulatory standards, air samples were taken in five locations, including adjacent rooms and corridors,” according to the letter that school officials plan to send home with children today.

“The results of our testing have shown that there was no release of fibers in any of the areas tested, including the location that the work was being performed,” the letter states.

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