Asbestos Found at Aberdeen, MS Middle School

School districts throughout the nation face issues similar to that now affecting the Aberdeen, MS School District: the discovery that asbestos may be present in a district school building. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses, including mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer and asbestosis many decades after being exposed to the carcinogen.

If your family is facing a loved one’s diagnosis with an asbestos disease, please complete the form on this page to obtain information about your legal options.

As part of a routine inspection on February 9, 2010 by a Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) investigator at the Aberdeen Middle School, a source of previously undiscovered asbestos was found. The asbestos materials, which had not been disturbed, could pose a health risk to students, faculty and staff. As a result, the school building was closed and teachers and students were relocated to other district schools.

Since the District was just beginning their investigation into the extent of the contamination, it is not yet known how long the school building will be closed.

Asbestos Materials in Aging Schools
Like virtually every school built or renovated until the 1970s, a number of asbestos products were commonly used in the construction or remodeling process. Usual sources of asbestos include:

Asbestos floor tiles or asbestos-containing linoleum that was installed in hallways and classrooms;

Asbestos insulation used in school boiler rooms, or applied to heating pipes that travel through many school hallways, ceilings and classrooms;

Asbestos materials used in roofing insulation and ceiling tiles;

Asbestos-containing adhesive glues used to apply wall and floor tiles in school cafeterias, bathrooms, gyms and locker rooms; and

Asbestos-containing plaster, texture paint, acoustic “popcorn” ceiling materials and vinyl wallpaper found in classrooms, hallways and offices.

Serious Health Risks for School Teachers
The amount of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) used in many older schools has had serious health implications for teachers and staff. Federal studies of asbestos disease have shown that after electricians, carpenters and those who work in blue-collar construction industries, elementary school teachers have the next highest asbestos disease diagnosis rate in the nation.

Many elementary school teachers spend their entire teaching career in one school building, and sometimes the same classroom. In addition, since the management of an elementary school classroom typically involves more “hands on” effort, decades of decorating classrooms with student artwork, rotating seasonal educational materials and other decorations may have also caused these teachers to inhale asbestos dusts.

This long exposure to asbestos may result in teachers developing an asbestos disease many decades after they were first exposed.

How Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we may be able to help you to seek justice for your illness and file a lawsuit on your behalf.

Please complete the form on this page for a free and confidential review of your potential asbestos lawsuit or request a free copy of our asbestos sourcebook. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.