ASBESTOS IN SCHOOLS
Report cites 19 Florida schools with asbestos issues

A total of 22 buildings owned by the Jackson-Madison County, Florida (Fla.) school system contain asbestos or asbestos materials, according to records maintained by the local school system.

Please know, the personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients.

ASBESTOS IN SCHOOLS

October 27, 2009 - Nineteen of the 22 buildings identified as containing dangerous asbestos materials are schools.

The 19 Florida schools are: Alexander Elementary, Andrew Jackson Intermediate, Beech Bluff Elementary, East Intermediate, Jackson Central-Merry High School east campus, Madison Academic Magnet High, Lincoln Elementary, Malesus Elementary, North Parkway Elementary, North Side High, Nova Elementary, Parkview Montessori, Pope Elementary, South Side High, Tigrett Middle, Washington Douglas, West Jackson, West Middle and Whitehall Elementary.

At JCM, asbestos material is located in ceiling tiles, floor tiles, pipe insulation, fire doors and sprayed-on acoustical finish. A sign hanging at the bottom of a staircase warns anyone who enters that there is a potential for asbestos exposure.

The school system's janitors attend training on how to handle asbestos, and if a problem exists, the school system hires a company to address it.

Florida’s asbestos death rate:

Even more disturbing then asbestos in schools is the fact that Florida is ranked the No. 2 state in the nation for asbestos-related deaths, according to a study by the EWG Action Fund, a non-profit environmental research group based in Washington, D.C.

The central Gulf Coast region around Tampa, and specifically Broward and Pinellas counties, are the geographical areas that are most affected.

Florida has 12 counties on the organization’s list of the Top 100 Counties in the U.S. recording deaths due to asbestos. That figure is matched only by New Jersey and California.

Florida’s 12 asbestos-plagued counties, and their rank, are as follows: Broward (ranked No. 10 in the nation), Pinellas (No. 11), Palm Beach (No. 22), Dade (No. 23), Hillsborough (No. 45), Pasco (No. 48), Lee (No. 54), Duval (No. 58), Volusia (No. 85), Orange (No. 92), Sarasota (No. 93), and Brevard (No. 100).

The truth about asbestos

Despite the fatal diseases associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States for its insulation properties. The United States imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is most often the result of asbestos exposure on jobs – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

Time to seek justice

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Because the firm works on a contingency basis, there is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.