FARMINGDALE, MAINE,
ASBESTOS LAWYER
EPA denies Farmingdale badly needed money to remove asbestos from school, citing error in grant application

At a time when government figures show Maine's mesothelioma death rate leading all other states in asbestos-related deaths per capita, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month rejected Farmingdale’s application for an environmental cleanup grant to remove asbestos materials from a local school building.

June 10, 2009 – Many communities in Maine are finding it necessary to remove asbestos from aging school buildings because, as the fire-retardant material turns dry and brittle over time, invisible asbestos fibers can become airborne and lodge in peoples’ lungs, leading to a variety of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma.

Surprisingly, school teachers are among the professional occupations most at risk for asbestos-related diseases because they spend their entire teaching careers inside old public buildings saturated with asbestos materials.

Farmingdale, Maine, school asbestos problem

The town of Farmingdale, Maine, recently received news that it will not receive a grant to pay for asbestos removal at the old Sheldon Street School because the school building is actually part of another school district. The town was told that in order to receive the grant, the district that owns the building will have to apply.

Farmingdale sought a $99,000 grant that would have covered a significant portion of the cost to remove the asbestos. The EPA supplies the cleanup grants as part of the massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that the Obama Administration signed into law last February.

Maine’s EPA asbestos grants. A half-dozen other cities in Maine were more successful than Farmingdale. Last month, the EPA approved a $6.1-million allocation to be shared by the cities of Bath, Augusta and Lewiston and the towns of Howland, Windham and Orono. The tiny town of Orono, Maine, will use its asbestos Brownfield grant to remove asbestos from Webster Mill, long overdue for restoration, according to the town.

Maine school teachers risk asbestos disease

Government health statistics indicate an elevated mesothelioma mortality rate among the nation’s elementary and secondary school teachers.

During the past century, before authorities recognized its toxic properties, asbestos was used heavily as a fire-retardant in thousands of the nation’s public buildings – especially school buildings, where an extra effort was made to prevent the possibility of fire around children.

School teachers are especially vulnerable because they spend their entire careers in asbestos-plagued buildings.

Farmingdale, Maine, asbestos lawyer

If you have been diagnosed with an occupational asbestos disease, like asbestosis or mesothelioma, and seek a free consultation about your right to financial compensation, please notify the personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg through the communication form on this page.

We will pursue your claim with vigilance. Because we work on a contingency basis, there is no cost to you at all until we win a verdict or settlement.