MONTREAL - Riverdale High School in Pierrefonds will be closed for the rest of the week due to concerns of asbestos contamination.
Officials from the Lester B. Pearson School Board have confirmed that contractors working on the school's fire detector system disturbed ceiling panels in an area that contained enclosed asbestos.However tests have concluded that there are no particles in the air.
The closure is being called "precautionary," as asbestos has been labeled as a carcinogen and the World Health Organization believes that it can lead to lung cancer.
La Presse reported on Thursday that more than 1,500 public buildings in the province continue to use asbestos. The Charest government promises to release a list of those buildings by year's end.
Parents of students at Riverdale have told CTV News that they are concerned about the closure and the lack of information from the school board.
On Thursday, no one was at the school, including any workers.
Dr. Louise Deguire said that asbestos in itself is not dangerous, "It's only dangerous if you inhale the fibers," she said.
Carol Heffernan of the Lester B. Pearson School Board said that the school was closed in case that particles were dangling in the air.
"We decided to do testing to the school and recommended that we close the building while the tests were being done," she said.
