Asbestos exists in about 90 percent of Ohio State’s buildings, but people experienced in dealing with the mineral say it’s not a threat to anyone’s health.”There has been somewhat of a scare,” said Stephen Paynter, construction and renovation engineer. “It’s safe as long as it’s protected and in good condition.” Paynter said asbestos waswidely used at OSU when the majority of buildings were built.”To quantify it would be almost impossible,” he said.Clyde Eberhart, spokesman from the Ohio Board of Regents, said state legislators first put asbestos abatement into House Bill 790 in 1984. Funds were provided to reduce the risk of asbestos at Ohio’s college campuses. Asbestos can be abated by removing it or by keeping the particles from becoming airborne, he said.Asbestos abatement must be included in the cost of renovations of all campus buildings, said Eberhart. All buildings scheduled to be renovated must have asbestos abated, he said.OSU spent around $300,000 to abate the asbestos in McPherson Lab, said Paynter.OSU hires contractors to remove or encapsulate the asbestos, said Paynter. The contractors must be certified by the Ohio Department of Health, he said. Contractors must provide proof that at least one person on staff is an asbestos hazard abatement specialist. That person must be certified by the health department, said Jane Beathard, spokesperson for the health department.Beathard said that since March, 45 inspections were conducted at OSU. She said OSU was in compliance with the health department’s regulations.Beathard said about 15 different abatement contractors have been working at OSU since March.Rod Tettenhorst, professor of geological sciences, said asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is harmless if left alone.”It has to vaporize to be harmful,” Tettenhorst said. “It doesn’t spontaneously get into your lungs. You’d have to be in a room with cloudy air full of it, breathing it, for it to be dangerous.” Cecil Smith, assistant vice president of Environmental Health and Safety, said small amounts of asbestos can be found in all air.Asbestos has been linked to two diseases. Asbestosis is a pulmonary disease that limits a person’s breathing capabilities, and Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that infects the inner body, Smith said.Most people who get these diseases are exposed to very high amounts of asbestos for long periods of time, most commonly while at work, Smith said.He said students are at a low risk for developing either disease at OSU because there are such low levels of exposure.”We are monitoring it and assessing it on campus,” Smith said.Students should not be concerned, said Paynter. There are three ongoing projects to abate asbestos at OSU.Doan Hall, in the OSU Medical Center, Parks Hall and the Poultry Science building are currently under renovation, Paynter said.