ASBESTOS NEWS UPDATE
High mesothelioma mortality rate among nation’s school teachers

November 6, 2008 -- Government health statistics indicate an elevated mesothelioma mortality rate among elementary and secondary school teachers -- the result of spending their professional years in aging school buildings riddled with asbestos.

“It should not be surprising that workers in the construction and ship building industries are most susceptible to asbestos exposure and mesothelioma,” said Adam Cooper, a trial lawyer in the Asbestos Litigation Unit at Weitz & Luxenberg. “But our experience has shown that teachers and other school personnel are also at an increased risk for developing asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma.”

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirms the situation in a 2003 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.

Asbestos dangers in aging school buildings

Most school buildings in the nation were built in the last century, and many before WWII, when asbestos-containing construction materials (such as asbestos ceiling tiles and asbestos heating and pipe insulation, were commonly used.

In a 2003 report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) titled “The ABCs of Asbestos in Schools,” the EPA disclosed that “there are asbestos-containing materials in most of the nation’s primary, secondary and charter schools.” The situation was so dire that Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) in 1986 to protect children and school employees from asbestos exposure inside school buildings.

Time to seek justice!

Despite the serious health problems linked to asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007.

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. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time its attorneys have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for its clients.

If you have a mesothelioma injury, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal rights. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.