ASBESTOS IN THE NEWS
Yonkers middle school reopens after classroom asbestos scare

March 3, 2009 -- Emerson Middle School in Yonkers, NY, reopened yesterday after asbestos concerns caused the school to close last week.

The concerns stem from water-damaged floor tiles that may have contained asbestos. Officials for the school district ordered the school closed in order to test for dangerous asbestos fibers in the air and to prevent students and staff from being exposed to the dangerous substance.

Asbestos exposure can lead to any one of a number of asbestos-related diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. A newly diagnosed mesothelioma patient will most likely pass away in less than two years. The disease, however, can take decades to develop.

Concerned school officials

The leak caused water damage in eight classrooms and hallways in one area of the school. Repairs in the damaged areas of the school cost a total of $18,000 to fix over the weekend, said school officials.

School officials said their concern arose from the fact that asbestos was used as a flame retardant in many older buildings, such as the Emerson Middle School, and that disturbing such materials can release dangerous asbestos fibers into the air.

Time to seek justice!

In 2007, Weitz & Luxenberg secured a $37 million asbestos verdict in two lung cancer cases. The firm’s successes in the asbestos arena reach as far back as 1991, when its lawyers won an historic consolidated trial for men who worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the 1940s and 1950s, when asbestos use flourished. Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. represented 36 clients in that case, and secured verdicts of $75 million.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please notify us through the communication form below. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, future and past lost wages, and damages. There is no cost to you until we win a verdict or negotiate a settlement.