Environmental specialists gave Lewisboro Elementary School in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District in Westchester County, New York the all-clear after asbestos was discovered during an inspection that followed a lightning strike to the school’s chimney.

An article in the Bedford-Katonah Patch reports that asbestos tiles were discovered by inspectors after the Sept. 2^nd strike, which closed the school until air and surface testing could be completed and it was deemed that there would be no problems with asbestos exposure.

The district says environmental specialists performed 20 tests in all at the busy school, which included samples from vacuumed material from walls, carpets and floors, along with sampling from the air. Though the tests determined that levels of asbestos in the air were within the legal limits, some abatement will need to be completed, the district reports.

“A minor amount of abatement will take place in the nurse’s office, and we are pressing to complete the work this weekend,” said a spokesperson for the district. In the meantime, parents can send their children to school without worrying about them inhaling asbestos, which can cause a variety of respiratory diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Asbestos in schools is commonplace when the school building was built prior to the late 1970s. Schools in the U.S. are required to have asbestos management plans in place that indicate where asbestos is located. According to EPA laws, schools must also have an individual on site that is trained in dealing with any asbestos emergencies. That person is usually a member of the maintenance staff.

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