Asbestos in Schools
Asbestos is a known carcinogen that has been banned since 1989 by the EPA. While it can no longer be used in new products, it is still found in buildings that existed long before 1989. Many of the buildings where asbestos is found are schools.
The presence of asbestos in schools creates potential health risks for teachers, students, administration, janitors, and anyone else that ventures into a school building. Unfortunately, the ban implemented by the EPA did not require schools to remove asbestos-containing materials. While it was not required that they remove the asbestos, there are certain regulations in place to ensure that schools manage existing asbestos levels and exposure. If the asbestos in a school happens to be damaged, the school is required to remove it.
While this rule is helpful, it does not take into account the possible exposure to students and teachers and everyone else in the school before the damaged asbestos-containing material is discovered. Between the damage and the discovery, the asbestos fibers can be picked up by the ventilation system of the school and distributed to the entire building. This increases the number of people who were potentially exposed to asbestos and increases the number of potential mesothelioma or asbestosis cases.
Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney
If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos through attendance of school, working in a school, or volunteering on a regular basis at your child’s school and been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestosis, contact the mesothelioma attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-781-3955 to discuss your situation and to determine what legal options exist.
