On Friday, August 22, 2025, I am sure all students of IIT Mies Campus would have received an alert stating that the Rettaliata building would remain closed until further notice. I am sure everyone who has a class there would have heard it before, but for those of us who do not have any classes there, this news triggered curiosity. I, for starters, assumed it was because of the air conditioning. Now that we know what it really is, it comes as a shock to learn the actual reason behind it. As the sources state, the building was closed due to the exposure of asbestos fibres from the walls. However, officials report that it’s just in its initial stages. Some of my friends and students, who were taking classes or were all of us who remained in the building from August 19th, 2025, to August 22nd, 2025, were asked to undergo a series of tests at the Student Wellness and Awareness Centre.
But why remains the question.
Let us find an answer to this question by unravelling back to the 1980s, when newly enacted state and federal legislation in the state of Illinois required schools to be inspected for asbestos exposure. The Illinois Department of Public Health, also known as the IDPH, assigns a staff member to review how elementary or secondary schools, as well as universities such as ours, manage their use of asbestos fibers. The IDHP as well demands that the person who reviews these plans must be trained to do so, must be licensed and must undergo constant and thorough health check-ups. Since our students might be exposed to asbestos fibers, we were also asked to undergo a health check-up.
But what are these fibres and why are they considered very harmful?
Asbestos is these fibrous silicate minerals that occur naturally in certain rocks and mineral groups, such as serpentine rocks and the amphibole mineral group. Just like any other rock does, the above-suggested rocks undergo metamorphism under high pressure and temperature, which forms our favorite Asbestos fibre. Thanks to our industrial revolution, these fibres were peaking during the 19th century when industrialists found commercial value in mining asbestos and using it for construction since they remained strong, fire and corrosion resistant and offered great insulation. However, a few workers started falling ill. It was in the year 1900, a doctor named Dr.William H. Beatty found the links between asbestos fibres and some weird-looking bodies in the lungs of workers working the mines. He confirmed the workers fell ill due to a deadly lung cancer caused due to the inhalation of micro-fabric particles of the asbestos fibres. Even today, these fibres are not really banned, though throughout the course of history, several attempts and protests to do so were made.
So why is it not banned if its usage is so dangerous?
You can observe Asbestos-containing materials(ACM) under a polarized light microscope to see much percentage of Asbestos present. These ACMs by itself is not considered dangerous. It depends on whether it can be crumbled to powder easily or is more resistant and requires special tools to break down. It is suggested that dry, friable ACMs are health-threatening, while the reverse is safe to use. If any building constructed with ACM is to undergo renovation, demolition or remodelling, proper care must be taken as this can lead to asbestos fibres leakage in the air, exposing people to have their lungs lodged with these fibrous particles, causing cancer.
Hence, with relevance to this context, the Rettaliata building was found to have asbestos when people found random dust particles. The FAQ section at our campus’s IIT alerts page states that this was due to the roof construction work above the second floor. I suggest that our people read the FAQ page to have first-hand information on this
What is the status right now, and when can we expect Rettaliata to open?
According to emails received recently, the building will remain closed at least until Wednesday, September 10th 2025, as there is a series of processes that are to be undergone according to National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants(NESHAP) regulations. It could probably take at least a few weeks till the building reopens, and until then, classes would remain at reallocated places.
Timeline of asbestos in Rettaliata
Below are the series of emails and their specific dates that all IIT people or specific students who were allocated a class in the building would have received.
22nd August 2025: IIT alert received stating the building will remain closed at least until August 25th 2025, due to a facilities-related matter
24th August 2025: Critical IIT alert update received stating the building will remain closed until August 26th to undergo air sample testing and precautions, as the previous samples near the sound end of the second floor were reported to contain Asbestos exposure. However, this email stated that follow-up samples taken after the preliminary samples contained zero fibres, and the building is going through additional precautionary steps to open on the, 26th August 2025 a Tuesday
25th August 2025: Email received from the office of Registrar that due to facilities maintenance, the building will continue to remain closed on 26th August 2025 and that the classes will be held online
26th August 2025: Another Critical IIT alert update received stating the building will remain closed that day to ensure final preparations before opening
27th August 2025: Email received from the office of Registrar that due to facilities maintenance, the building will continue to remain closed on 28th August 2025 and that the classes will be held online
28th August 2025: As well, the Critical Alert update received stated the building will remain closed till the first week of September to ensure necessary safety measures are taken as per the CDPH
The office of Registrar as well sent an update stating the air samples reported for zero asbestos; however, CDPH assessments are to take place, hence the classes bound to happen at the building will take place online
5th September 2025: email received from the dean of students providing a status update on the situation, mentioning the building will remain closed at least until September 10th 2025
Let us wait until we hear more about this. Until then, just to be cautious, be sure to visit the student wellness centre to undergo your tests if you feel like you show symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness, blood coughed up, pain or tightening in the chest, difficulty swallowing or swelling of the neck or face
REFERENCES:
- https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/asbestos.html
- https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/classic/toxics/asbestos/general.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos
- https://www.simmonsfirm.com/blog/history-of-asbestos-from-its-prime-to-era-of-regulation/#:~:text=Asbestos%20Use%20Peaks%20Despite%20Mounting,who%20handled%20asbestos%2Dcontaining%20products
- https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/air-quality/asbestos/building.html
- https://www.simmonsfirm.com/blog/history-of-asbestos-in-the-industrial-age/
- https://www.iit.edu/iitalert/updates#:~:text=Which%20areas%20of%20campus%20were,19%20through%20Friday%2C%20August%2022.
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/asbestos/asbestos-fact-sheet