Can you imagine using 13 year old students to help clean up debris at an asbestos contaminated building? That’s what a school in Ohio did, accordingy to a Huffington Post article. A neighbor who lived in a residence by the old YMCA building filmed the volunteers working amidst a cloud of dust.

The site, where volunteers that included young children, used to house a YMCA. As in Washington State, Ohio state law requires removal of asbestos by special contractors. According to Ohio EPA literature, “all facilities are required to complete a thorough asbestos survey before renovation or demolition.” Despite the state’s environmental protection agency’s finding that pipes, floor tiles, ducts, etc. were laden with asbestos, students and adult volunteers were asked to clean up the debris at the site.

After attention was turned to this issue, the school has now indicated that it will use a certified asbestos abatement contractor instead.