The air inside Roosevelt Elementary School complies with federal air quality standards despite chips and cracks in the building’s asbestos floor tiles, according to the preliminary results of an environmental assessment.

Officials with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality asked the Medford School District to hire an environmental consultant early Monday to conduct the air quality tests after seeing a photograph in Sunday’s Mail Tribune of a hole in an asbestos tile covering the school’s south stairwell.

"I was kind of alarmed by what was portrayed in the newspaper," said Steven Croucher, a DEQ environmental specialist in Medford. "I certainly thought it was worth doing testing.

"The information that has been acquired looks like (the air) in the school is fine."

Airborne asbestos fibers can be inhaled in the lungs and over time, large amounts can cause health problems, including some types of cancer.

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As long as asbestos is encapsulated, it is not believed to pose an immediate health risk, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Medford-based Coleman Creek Consulting Inc. took air samples at nine locations in the school late Monday.

Seven of the nine samples examined under a light microscope showed fibers below the DEQ clearance level, meaning further tests are not necessary.

Two other samples exceeded the DEQ clearance level but were below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s safety standard, which is 10 times higher.

"We can’t see the difference between an asbestos molecule and a paper fiber under a light microscope, so we have to send it off," said David Fawcett, asbestos operations director for Coleman Creek Consulting.

The two samples were sent to a lab to determine whether the fibers are asbestos or come from some other synthetic or plant material, Fawcett said.

The results of the two tests are expected Thursday.

The consultant also inspected the school’s tile late Monday and recommended replacing chipped and cracked areas by summer.

District officials said they plan to follow the consultant’s recommendation, but a timeline for the job has not yet been set.

"However we handle this it’ll be about looking out for kids’ and staff’s best health interests," said Medford Schools Superintendent Phil Long.

Maintenance employees now heavily wax the tiles to keep asbestos from circulating in the air.

"It’s not like you easily have a fiber release if you keep a coat of wax on the floor," said Toni Russell, district asbestos inspector and maintenance department secretary. "The law allows us to manage asbestos in place because sometimes there is less of a fiber release than when you remove it."

Seventeen of the 18 schools in the district are believed to include building materials containing asbestos. Abraham Lincoln Elementary is the exception.

The district inspects asbestos materials inside schools every six months to ensure they are not releasing fibers into the air.

Every three years, the district is required to hire an independent consultant to inspect asbestos materials.

"As our buildings age, we have to make decisions about whether to invest money in asbestos abatement or replace facilities," Long said.

Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail pachen@mailtribune.com.