During the last week of February, warning signs regarding asbestos were posted on the doors of room B18 in the business building.

That week, demolition and asbestos abatement were conducted as part of the construction of the Levan Center for the Humanities. The project will expand room B18 off to Panorama Drive.

With construction on any existing building a test has to be run for asbestos.

Then all the materials containing asbestos are removed, explained LaMont Schiers, executive director of administrative services.

According to Schiers, the floor tiles in B18 were the problem. “If you look on most of the floors around campus, all the 9-by-9 inches tiles are all asbestos tiles,” Schiers said, “Any time we do new construction, and there are 9-by-9 tiles, we have to do an asbestos abatement.”

Asbestos presents a risk for people when its fibers mix with dust and can be inhaled. Some of the diseases associated with asbestos include cancer and lung disease.

“Once the asbestos material becomes dust in the air, and you breathe it in, your body can’t expel it out of your lungs,” Schiers said.

On March 2, a test determined that air quality was good, and abatement was completed in the building.

The asbestos abatement went as planned and did not affect the schedule for construction of the Levan Center, said Mike Stepanovich, executive director of the Bakersfield College Foundation.

“That’s the normal process when dealing with an existing building,” Stepanovich said.

Construction of the Levan Center will start during the fourth week of March. It will take four to six months to be completed during the?fall semester.