Students Claim Illness Due to Kettering Construction

Weird Science: The Kettering Science Center has allegedly been responsible for students becoming ill in Barrows, due to chemicals involved in the construction. (photo by Pauline Shapiro)

For all of you students who have not lived on the North side of campus during the last two years, the on-going construction has not affected your life, but for residents of both Barrows and Barnard Halls, problems have arisen due to the construction of the new science building.

Last year students protested the cutting down of trees, and the inconvenient and early hours the construction necessitated, but alongside these complaints by students comes a new, and perhaps more serious, threat. The North wing of the building is getting a roof - a process that involves tarring. As of right now, the tar kettle sits on the north side of the building next to the student residence halls. Two weeks ago students at Barrows Hall complained to Resident Coordinators of feeling sick.

"I am typically very healthy so it was strange that I had this long string of illness. People seemed to be saying, 'Oh, I'm not feeling too good.' You heard a lot of complaining of headaches, and a lot of coughing. Since it's stopped I've definitely felt a lot better," first-year Barrows resident Theresa Reagan said.

"Heated product may release asphalt fumes which may cause nose, throat, and mucous membrane irritation, and nausea, headaches or dizziness if inhaled," according to the safety data sheet distributed by Owens-Corning, the maker and distributor of the equipment used for tarring, under the heading "Potential Health Effects."

Many students report having felt these exact symptoms, but uncertainty exists as to whether inhalation of asphalt fumes aggravated already existing sickness, or if it was the cause of student illness. Sources say that it seems that the rate of student illness has been unusually high. Unfortunately, the health risks do not end there.

The same Owens-Corning report states that asphalt contains an ingredient called polycyclic hydrocarbon that may be potentially carcinogenic to humans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer stated in a report in 1987 that petroleum asphalt was "class 3," which means it is not classifiable as carcinogenic. However, inhalation in lab rats has shown evidence to the contrary, and California's Proposition 65 declares that asphalt contains chemicals that cause cancer.

According to Sal Falardi, Project Coordinator, a Health and Safety Officer tested the air throughout Kettering and Sperry for toxicity. He said, "There's nowhere near dangerous levels."

Oberlin College administrators are working on fixing the problem. They ordered workers to stop tarring last week. Yesterday, Barrows residents awoke to the all-too-familiar smell because workers had been told they could temporarily resume work during Thanksgiving break, and had not been told anything to the contrary since.

For Mosser Construction, the general contractor for the site, the main problem lies in the fact that rain has been pouring into the building. Without finishing the building's framework, any inside development is impossible. The building is already behind schedule and with winter coming, the weather conditions will continue to hasten construction.

"I think we've heard several complaints from students and we're trying to remedy them to the best of our ability. We believe the best solution is to get a vapor recovery system for the kettle, and I'm hoping it is a day or two away from being fixed," Falardi said.

The vapor recovery system is among many other remedies that have been proposed recently and if used will be supplied to the site by the tarring company, T & F Systems. The projected cost is just under $20,000. The vapor system was not included in the original plans because the specifications came from out-of-state and this small specification among many others was overlooked.

If the vapor system is not used, administrators plan to move the tar kettle to the South side of the building, away from residents.