ASBESTOS CASES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

EPA spearheads health safety program for nation’s asbestos-laden school buildings

“There are asbestos-containing materials in most of the nation’s primary, secondary and charter schools,” says a 2003 report on asbestos cases in public schools released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and titled, “The ABCs of Asbestos in Schools.”

If you once worked as a school building employee and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be eligible for financial compensation by filing a mesothelioma claim to recover medical expenses, lost wages and suffering.

ASBESTOS CASES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

July 13, 2010 – Most school buildings in the United States were built in the last century, when asbestos-containing materials were commonly used in the construction of public buildings. This has given rise to thousands of reported asbestos cases in public schools, including teacher mortalities.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirms the situation in a study released in 2003 on work-related health hazards titled “Section 7, Malignant Mesothelioma.” The report identified “Elementary and Secondary Schools” as the No. 3 industry in 1999 that most frequently cited mesothelioma as the cause of death on death certificates.

Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis (lung scarring), and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung cavity lining). There is a long latency period for these diseases. It could be 30 years after exposure before symptoms of disease begin.

Asbestos cases in public schools

The frequency of asbestos cases in public schools was so alarming 20 years ago that Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) in 1986 to protect children, school teachers and maintenance employees from asbestos exposure inside the nation’s aging public school buildings.

AHERA requires public school districts and non-profit private schools to inspect their school buildings for asbestos-containing building materials, and prepare plans to reduce the health hazard.

Options include repairing damaged asbestos containing material, spraying it with sealants, enclosing it, removing it, or keeping it in good condition so that it does not release asbestos fibers. Asbestos exposure occurs when airborne asbestos fibers are inhaled.

EPA on asbestos cases in public schools

According to the EPA, the plans must be developed by accredited management planners and approved by the state. School officials must notify parent, teacher and employer organizations of the plans, and then implement the plan.

The school district must also perform periodic surveillance of asbestos containing material every six months. AHERA also requires accreditation of abatement designers, contractor supervisors and workers, building inspectors, and school management plan writers.

The EPA is the primary governmental agency responsible for enforcing AHERA regulations. However, if your state has been issued a wavier, the state agency is responsible for enforcing the requirements. These states are: Connecticut, Colorado, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, and Utah.

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