Cifrino said the contractors failed to put up enough barriers to prevent the escape of asbestos dust. But the contractors said they tried to do all they could to follow state and federal environmental laws governing asbestos removal. Officials of Portland Diversified Services and Air Quality Management Services defended the procedures they used to contain the asbestos. Cifrino said the recent air tests confirmed that, despite the procedural violations, no contamination occurred. Pillsbury reopened the two classrooms Thursday after having closed them for three days during the air testing.
Some parents are still concerned.
One of them, Frank Donovan, said he was outraged that the state didn't supervise the asbestos removal more closely. Christina Holbrook, another parent, said she feels reassured that the school is safe for her son, who is in the third grade. But she said she will be interested to see what the state does after completing its investigation of the procedures followed during the project. We will let you know what is going on in news, sports and viewpoints. We've got news, analysis, charts, maps and more.