The University Health Services might have gotten less than it bargained for after moving its headquarters to the Holmes Student Center.

New tests conducted for asbestos in the student center show that health services moved next door to the complex’s only problem spot.

The tests, revealed last week, indicate the student center’s “electrical vault”—a mechanical room—has asbestos levels that exceed prescribed levels by the Environmental Protection Agency. The vault is adjacent to the health center’s temporary location.

NIU Physical Plant Project Manager Conrad Miller said tests revealed about .00157 fibers per thousand in the air. EPA limits allow no more than .001 fibers per thousand, Miller said. Also, the fibers are half a millimeter longer than allowed, he said.

At this point, the asbestos is not overly dangerous and meets Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, Miller said. But, “it’s something you don’t ignore.”

The health center temporarily relocated to the student center during the spring to escape high asbestos levels in its own home on Lucinda Avenue.

“It’s rather ironic,” Miller said, although he said the student center’s asbestos is “nowhere to the degree of the health center.”

NIU Health Services Director Rosemary Lane said the new-found asbestos poses no serious problem to operations and said it should not affect service.

Still, Lane said the health staff is beginning to make contingency plans if the asbestos is not removed by the Jan. 3 target date.

Asbestos abatement should begin and finish during semester break, Miller said. “The main concern is to get it out before the holidays,” he said.

The abatement should take between two and three days, he said.

NIU officials conducted the asbestos check because of plans to install a $500,000 fire alarm system next summer. Miller said the second-floor industrial vault was the only area in the student center that failed the inspection.

Although Miller said he does not know how much the abatement will cost until he gets bids from contractors, he estimated the price tag will be about $5,000 to $6,000. The money will come from the student center funds, which is supported by student fees.

The entire student center—which is about 329,000 square feet—is not affected by the asbestos because it was built in stages by separate contractors, he said.