Editor’s note: This article has been amended from its original version to correct details about the Co-op building in which the asbestos was discovered.

Asbestos, a known carcinogen, was found in a piece of plaster in the basement of the Washington University Cooperative’s Quadrangle Housing-owned building, although samples taken by Quadrangle show that asbestos levels fall below Environmental Protection Agency limits.

The Washington University Cooperative is a living arrangement in which students divide chores and cooking to foster a collaborative community. It is partially housed at 6015 Pershing Ave., which was built in 1910 when asbestos was commonly used as a flame-resistant building material. A maintenance team responding to a flooring issue discovered the asbestos.

Co-op residents were concerned that they would lose their possessions, which were stored in the basement despite rules forbidding the use of the basement as a storage space.

Steve Condrin, director of Off-Campus Real Estate for Quadrangle, believes that residents should not look at the issue of asbestos itself but instead the way that Quadrangle is solving it.

“The important thing here is for them to know is we have a maintenance team that is well-trained to spot issues,” Condrin said, “that when it sees a potential issue of concern to health and safety of our residents, they jump on it, and we are also concerned about the property residents keep in our building.”

On Oct. 31, dust and air samples were taken throughout the basement and came back below the EPA-approved threshold for asbestos. Samples from the rest of the basement also showed that the asbestos had not spread. Condrin noted there were pieces of similar-looking plaster in the basement that did not contain asbestos.

Quadrangle has hired a licensed team to lead the process of containing the mineral, which is expected to be completed within several weeks. The contaminated area will be sealed off and a machine will lower the pressure in the area to prevent the chemicals used to treat the asbestos from spreading.

“That’s something we will not cut any corners on,” Condrin said. “It will be handled within the applicable guidelines and regulations that are well-known among the vendors that we work with.”

He added that he understands the concerns of residents.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable for people to have natural fear and curiosity around asbestos,” Condrin said. “We share that fear, and we want to make sure that when there’s asbestos in these older buildings that it doesn’t pose a health risk.”

One of residents’ main concerns was whether they would be able to reclaim their belongings. Condrin noted that it is in breach of the lease for the residents to store possessions in the basement. On Thursday and Friday of last week, the company met with tenants to discuss how they might reclaim their items. Condrin said that the company will work directly with tenants to return possessions to their rightful owners or move unclaimed possessions out of the basement before the containment process begins.

However, Condrin was not worried that the incident would hurt Quadrangle’s reputation.

“It will only help us to give assurance that we have a team that’s well-trained to look at these things, is proactive and wouldn’t wait until called upon to address a potential issue of concern,” Condrin said.

He added that Quadrangle will be progressively renovating all of its buildings, but the date of remodeling the Co-op has yet to be determined. In this process, the company will conduct a full survey to remove any hazardous materials and ensure that buildings are up to standards.

Junior Rebecca Foreman does not live in the Co-op but still felt that the asbestos was a significant concern.

“That’s definitely not good,” Foreman said. “I’d hope they’re doing something to fix the situation. If they fix it, that would be the most important thing to do.”

She also said she hopes Quadrangle takes further precaution in screening its buildings in the future.

“If they were surprised by [the asbestos in the Co-op], then I would hope they look into all of their similar housing to make sure it’s not secretly everywhere,” Foreman said.

Freshman Andrew Gong, who also isn’t a Co-op resident, was still surprised and disappointed by the situation.

“You expect Wash. U. housing to be fairly high quality, and asbestos isn’t,” Gong said.

He also was concerned about Quadrangle’s knowledge of asbestos in other buildings and about the possibility that students would be informed of asbestos after moving into a building.

“If Wash. U. had told me before I had gotten housing, if basically they had told us before we signed up for housing that this [apartment] might have asbestos, then I wouldn’t be worried,” Gong said. “But if I found out after I had already gotten housing and there was asbestos in the walls where I was living and I hadn’t known that before, that would concern me because what else isn’t the University telling me?”

Residents of the Co-op declined to comment until all residents had met to discuss the situation together.