Two grade schools in the greater Philadelphia area are on hiatus after asbestos insulation was found in the pipes inside of both buildings, according to a local NBC affiliate.

While the discovery was made last year, the action taken by the school district to remove the carcinogenic material was not immediate. Both Alexander K. McClure and Laura H. Carnell Elementary Schools didn’t close for asbestos abatement procedures until Dec. 20, 2019.

According to the report, students at the latter of the two schools have missed a total of four days to date with no plans established by the district administration for makeup days. Carnell reportedly remained closed on Monday, Jan. 6 when it should have reopened from the post-holiday break under ordinary circumstances. McClure will reportedly remain closed through Friday, Jan. 10 and students from that school will have lost an aggregate of eight classroom days.

Before the children and teachers, as well as other staff, are allowed to occupy the premises of the two buildings, the asbestos must be removed and cleaning must be done according to strict environmental protocol. Additionally, the quality of the air needs to be evaluated. Meanwhile, teachers and staff have been told to report to two adjunct educational facilities in the region—Carnell personnel to the Little School House and McClure personnel to Robert Clemente Middle School. The report didn’t note whether any further delays would necessitate a need to absorb the children into the student bodies of these schools.

As indicated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education website, schools operating in the state are required to retain their students for 180 instruction days per school year by law. In terms of hours spent in the classroom, the law caps the hours at 450 per year for half-timers such as preschoolers or kindergarteners. Full-time students at the grade school level must have 900 classroom hours and at the secondary school level that increases to 950.

These aren’t the first school closures in the Philadelphia School District in 2019 for asbestos issues. Two schools that share a facility were closed in September—Benjamin Franklin High School and Science Leadership Academy. This was followed by another closure in November of Pratt Head Start. Administrators at the school district have outlined a plan to address the environmental hazard in close to 150 regional schools, affecting 86,000 students.

One of the biggest problems is coming up with the money to address the threat. According to the report, $12 million in operating funds must be drawn upon to facilitate the abatement in addition to $500 million earmarked for capital funding. This is a huge cost, but one that will not need repeating if done correctly. The Philadelphia School District stopped allowing asbestos to be used in new construction beginning in the late 1970s.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), asbestos is a categorical name given to six different minerals mined from the earth that are remarkable in their resilience to chemical and thermal forces and known for their inherent strength. While its use has greatly decreased, it was drawn on for decades to meet fireproofing and insulation needs in construction among other things.

When inhaled or ingested, asbestos has been discovered to contribute to a rare cancer known as mesothelioma and generalized lung and other cancers.