Asbestos Pipes Removed From Widener's D-Level

To reach a leak in pipes in the Widener stacks, contractors commissioned by Harvard have removed asbestos pipe insulators in the Widener D level, officials said yesterday.

"There's nothing happening that's dangerous to anyone," Building Manager for Widener Kay Zevitas, said, denying that the asbestos was causing a health hazard. She declined to comment further on the repairs.

"It's been repaired," she said, "that's all I can say. We're following environmental health rules."

The asbestos removal is part of an ongoing program, library officials said. The asbestos will be removed from a different part of the Widener stacks once a week until all of it is removed.

Harvard used the asbestos for insulation and pipe covering in the stack area, said Nancy Curtin, assistant industrial hygenist for Harvard's Environmental Health Department.

The asbestos was removed because some of the pipes have leaks, Curtin said, adding that Harvard has to remove the insulation before it can fix the leak. "We were notified by the building manager in order to get to a leak in the pipes," she said. "There was no health hazard."

Curtin said that the asbestos was installed with the original library before asbestos was found to be a health hazard.

The contractors removed the asbestos according to the Harvard University guidelines for asbestos related work, said Curtin.