Asbestos containing materials are common in the nation’s deteriorating school buildings

In more than 25 years of building its reputation for protecting the rights of Americans occupationally exposed to asbestos, which is known to cause serious lung diseases such as mesothelioma,, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis, Weitz & Luxenberg recognizes a disturbing situation in some of the nation's aging school buildings: toxic asbestos containing materials.

Most school buildings in the United States were built in the last century, and many before WWII when asbestos-containing construction materials (such as asbestos ceiling tiles and asbestos pipe insulation) were commonly used as a fire deterrent, despite known serious health risks associated with the cancerous fiber.

In a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) titled, The ABCs of Asbestos in Schools, the government agency disclosed that “there are asbestos-containing materials in most of the nation’s primary, secondary and charter schools.”

Even more alarming are medical health statistics that reveal an elevated mesothelioma mortality rate among elementary and secondary school teachers, attributable to long careers spent in deteriorating school buildings riddled with asbestos.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirms the situation in a study 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.

Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen, is caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers that can irritate internal organs for years, sometimes for decades, before a diagnosis can be made. It is the deadliest of asbestos-related cancers; most victims die within one year of being diagnosed.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, contact our lawyers today for a free review of your case. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.