Former Woodland Hills School, Abandoned for 30 years, will Finally be Demolished
Oso Avenue Elementary School in Woodland Hills, which was part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, has been vacant for 30 years. Finally, after lots of community effort, the school will be destroyed. A new school for gifted students called the Academy of Integrated Arts and Technology will be constructed in its place. It’ll serve students in grades 6-12 (source).
The demolition will probably take about 50 days, reported the district’s chief facilities executive, Mark Hovatter.
Perhaps one reason why the demolition will take so long is because the buildings likely contain asbestos and mold. The school was built well over 30 years ago, when there weren’t many environmental regulations and asbestos use in buildings was rampant.
Then in the 1970s, numerous scientific studies concluded that asbestos exposure was a key risk factor in the development of serious diseases like lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Since then, the US government has banned the use of asbestos in residential and commercial buildings – especially in schools – to help minimize exposure.
Proper asbestos removal procedures
Anytime asbestos is removed from any building, air monitoring devices are utilized to ensure no asbestos fibers are released in the air during demolition. These devices ensure no further contamination occurs during clean-up procedures. Sections of the building will be completely sealed during asbestos removal procedures to ensure the fibers don’t contaminate the surrounding area as well.
Got asbestos questions?
If you live in the Woodland Hills or any other area where buildings that contain asbestos have been discovered, you may have questions about the health risks that may be present because of this hazardous material. One idea that should give you peace of mind is that as long as asbestos-contaminated buildings are left undisturbed, there’s very little probability that the asbestos fibers will be released into the air. But if a building is being demolished, like the former school in Woodland Hills, there are many essential procedures that will need to be put in place to ensure no one is exposed to asbestos fibers.
At H2 Environmental Consulting Services, we’re Southern California’s expert asbestos removal company. If you have questions about asbestos or need your building to be tested for asbestos before beginning a remodeling project or demolition, feel free to contact us by calling (800) 524-3578 or emailing CustomerService@H2Env.com.
We not only specialize in asbestos removal – we’re here for all your environmental consulting needs – hence our name! Our areas of expertise include lead, asbestos, fungus, and mold removal and safe disposal according to all federal and state regulations. We also specialize in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues – there’s nothing more important than the purity of the air we breathe. We’re here for all your Underground Storage Tank needs as well, and we also offer a full range of environmental training classes for all your staff.
We’re here to meet all residential and commercial properties’ hazardous materials remediation and management needs throughout Southern California. Call us today at (800) 524-3578 – how can we help you?
