Pokemouche school asbestos worries janitor, district says safe

Despite assurances from the Francophone Northeast School District, a custodian employed there is worried about asbestos harming children in the school where he works.

Raymond Baskin has been working at École La Rivière for 30 years and now suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition WorkSafeNB has accepted as being connected to asbestos in the building.

The school had asbestos cleaned up in 2014. Air quality testing is now on-going, according to Eloi Doucet, director of finance and administration with the district.

"There was asbestos presence [testing] being done two weeks ago, in regards to the presence because there was some questions raised by the personnel. We did some testing and everything is under control… under the norm by health and safety, Health Canada," he said.

"In la Rivière, it was found at a very minimal level," said Doucet.

CBC News asked for the testing results but the district was unable to provide them Friday.

Baskin says he has seen the testing going on, but still worries.

"The kids, I mean, they're a lot younger than we are with smaller lungs and all this and any little thing in the school, they're inhaling it. If there's any dust or particles, as far as I'm concerned, the kids are at risk too," he says.

Doucet says visual inspections of potentially hazardous areas are done once a year.

"Once a year, every February, notice is being sent to people in our building department to check asbestos, the situation of the asbestos there, and to give us a report and from there we do an arrangement. When there's things to be arranged or fixed, that's what's being done annually," he said.

It is still not enough to satisfy Baskin, who now uses a machine to help clear his lungs. He says just this summer a school in Tracadie Beach, la Villa des Amis, was evacuated after a contractor working on the hot water tank found asbestos.

Eloi Doucet says the asbestos was cleaned there too. Class is now in session, and the school is safe, he says.

"The school was tested after the removal was done. Everything is under the norm," says Doucet.