T offers update on replacing ceiling tiles at Harvard Station

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is advising the public of its continued inspection of ceiling tiles after a slab fell while passengers were nearby.

MBTA engineering consultants removed about 187 tiles from Harvard Station, according to a tweet posted by the MBTA Friday. The tiles have been tested and confirmed to be free of asbestos, according to the tweet.

These tests were deemed necessary following an incident on March 1, when a soundproofing slab fell from the ceiling as MBTA runners passed.

The MBTA released video of the incident, showing the tile – which T officials said weighed around 20 to 25 pounds – missing Cianna Navarro, a 21-year-old student at Suffolk University, by inches.

As the panel crumbles, a cloud of black dust can be seen erupting around Navarro’s feet, smearing his white sneakers.

An onlooker turned to ask if she was okay, and after she opened her mouth to respond, Navarro tasted “a lot of dirt and debris that had fallen from the ceiling panel,” she said. The Boston Globe.

“At that time, I didn’t really know what was going on or what had fallen out. I was kind of frozen in shock,” Navarro told the World. “It took me a few minutes outside to recover from what I had just experienced.”

“As scary as it was, I can agree that it could have been worse,” Navarro told the World. “At the end of the day, I’m grateful that the situation turned out the way it did, because it could have been very different.”

According to MBTA acting general manager Jeff Gonneville, preliminary observations indicated that the sign – which had been in place since around 1978 – fell because it was corroded. He ordered T staff to remove the panels if necessary and said the MBTA would conduct a system-wide audit of similar structures.