ASBESTOS RISK FORCES SCHOOL FACILITIES CLOSED.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Unified school officials said Friday two buildings at Grant High School in Van Nuys have been closed following the discovery of asbestos in ceiling tile. The announcement came as school district officials declared a widening probe into asbestos contamination at schools. Asbestos fibers in the air can cause asbestosis asbestosis Lung disease caused by long-term inhalation of asbestos fibres. A pneumoconiosis found primarily in asbestos workers, asbestosis is also seen in people living near asbestos industries. , a deadly illness. At Grant, the closure affected the school's gymnasium and forced the cancellation of two Friday football games because players were unable to retrieve equipment or uniforms, assistant principal Rita Hymes said. ``Because they couldn't finish inspecting it, they made us close (the gym),'' Hymes said. ``That meant nobody could come in. They would not even let us go into the building so the kids could get their uniforms.'' Inspectors discovered the asbestos Thursday in a loose ceiling tile inside the school's multipurpose mul·ti·pur·pose adj. Designed or used for several purposes: a multipurpose room; multipurpose software. multipurpose Adjective room. No students or staff members were present because the school was closed for Veterans Day. The discovery prompted the district to immediately close the entire building, which includes two music rooms and the faculty dining room, as well as the multipurpose room, known as Grant Hall. The district also closed the school's gymnasium, which includes two gyms, a dance studio, weight room, boys' and girls' locker rooms, and teachers' offices. Hymes said the district closed the gym as a precaution until inspectors could complete their examination of the massive building. ``When it comes to something like asbestos, which can be so devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. , they don't want to even take the slightest risk,'' Hymes said. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the school sent a letter home to parents. District officials will continue to test for asbestos in the two buildings through the weekend, Hymes said, and may reopen them by Monday. The incident at Grant comes on the heels of a spate of asbestos-related problems around the district that has forced the closure of two high schools and the partial closing of several others. ``We now need to turn our attention to past projects to make sure deficiencies weren't committed,'' said Angelo Bellomo, chairman of the district's safety team. ``There may be other schools that may be closed.'' The expanded probe could include 500 current and past school construction projects that occurred in areas involving asbestos, Bellomo said. So far, district officials have inspected about 150 construction projects. Asbestos contamination forced the district to close two high schools and seal off portions of seven other schools. On Friday, the district reopened Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). High School and hopes to reopen Roosevelt High School Roosevelt High School is the name of various public and independent secondary schools:
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