MACHIAS – Removal of asbestos floor tiles in the chemistry lab at Machias Memorial High School is under way and does not pose a danger to students or staff, according to Superintendent Bruce Sawyer.

Asbestos Abatement of Portland is removing the tiles, which were damaged when a pipe in the room’s hot-water heating system burst, covering the floor of the lab with water that was 170 to 180 degrees, the superintendent said.

Sawyer said the hot water caused some of the asbestos floor tiles to curl, leading to potential danger if they aren’t removed by a someone trained to remove them. “If the tiles break, the asbestos can become friable, and that’s when it becomes airborne,” the superintendent said.

The crew from Asbestos Abatement closed off the area before beginning the removal, he said.

Sawyer said the pipe burst during Friday night’s freeze. A staff member discovered the problem Sunday and alerted maintenance supervisor Frank Vaughn, who called in the abatement company after conferring with Sawyer, the superintendent said.

Machias and other area schools were closed Monday because of the snowstorm, and Sawyer said several students complained of the smell from the room Tuesday.

“Asbestos doesn’t have an odor, so I think what they were smelling was the water, which came from a closed-loop heating system,” he said.

Sawyer said the room will be sealed and vented to the outside through the use of a “negative air” machine before any of the tiles are removed. Negative air machines suck the air out of the room and deposit it outside the building after passing through a filter, he said.