Update on air testing

When we reopened the Raymond, Macdonald-Stewart and Barton buildings in March 2023, we established a temporary air testing program that consisted of testing for the presence of airborne asbestos in more than 35 areas across the complex. This testing program was not a regulatory requirement but rather put in place out of an abundance of caution. Testing has been done weekly since then and, as you can see on the website where the results are posted (login required), all tests continue to return results under the regulatory threshold (and McGill’s more stringent threshold).

Tests continued to return compliant results during the cleaning of the construction site – now completed – and also as indoor construction activities in the Raymond Building gradually resumed over the summer. The air tests were done during hours of regular building operation as we needed to test the air while community presence and activities in the buildings were representative of normal daytime occupancy and traffic levels.

Given the continued compliant air test results, we are confident that the additional safety measures we put in place following last winter’s closure, including sealing off the construction areas from the rest of the spaces and improved reporting and tracking processes, are effective. Facilities Management and Ancillary Services (FMAS) has thus decided to reduce the frequency of air testing from weekly to monthly, based on the input from our Environmental Health and Safety unit.

Though not a regulatory requirement, inside the construction area, air testing will continue to be done on a weekly basis. Construction activities have now restarted on all floors of the Raymond Building.

I want to thank you again for your continued patience and understanding as we continue to navigate the challenges related to ongoing construction at the Macdonald Campus.

If you have any questions, please contact Acting Building Director youssef.chebli [at] mcgill.ca (Youssef Chebli), who will connect with us.

Denis Mondou
Associate Vice-Principal, Facilities Management and Ancillary Services