School buildings, teachers, and asbestos exposure is an unfortunate consequence of the ongoing presence of asbestos in older buildings. The federal policy regarding asbestos in schools follows an “in-place” management system, so buildings must be inspected, but removal is not required. It puts students and teachers at risk of exposure and later health problems.
Which Schools Contain Asbestos?
A list of schools with asbestos would be very long. Some estimates suggest that one-third of all American schools have asbestos. If a school was built before the 1980s, there is a good chance it has asbestos in insulation and other materials.
These school buildings were constructed before many of the federal asbestos regulations were put in place. Before anyone realized that asbestos was linked to illnesses like mesothelioma, this natural mineral was used extensively in the construction of all types of buildings.
How Was Asbestos Used in Schools?
Asbestos is lightweight but strong, resists heat, fire, and electricity, and is inexpensive and readily available. These properties make it useful for the construction of buildings. In older schools, asbestos might be in these and other components:
- Insulation
- Pipes
- Furnaces
- Boilers
- Floor tiles and adhesives
- Acoustic materials
- Ceiling tiles
- Textured walls and ceilings
- Sheetrock
- Fireproof materials
- School supplies, including chalk and crayons
Federal Policies and Asbestos in Schools
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for outlining and enforcing federal laws related to asbestos in school buildings.
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), or asbestos in schools rule, has two requirements for all public, private, and charter schools operating in the United States:[1]
- Mandatory building inspection
- An asbestos management plan for schools to prevent or reduce the risks of asbestos exposure
School asbestos management plans should include several components:
- An asbestos professional to oversee any asbestos activities
- Protocols for inspections, including accredited professionals
- Detailed steps for managing any asbestos found in buildings and for preventing exposure
- Plans for communicating any concerns with the public
- Record-keeping for any asbestos activities
The EPA and AHERA do not require the removal of asbestos found during building inspections. They only need a plan for in-place management to reduce exposure risks.
Schools only need to remove asbestos when it is seriously damaged or at risk of being disturbed by renovation or demolition. Anyone working on asbestos plans in a school must be trained and accredited.[1]
Which Schools Are Covered by the Asbestos in Schools Rule?
AHERA covers public primary and secondary schools. It does not apply to private schools, colleges, or universities. These schools are still obligated to provide a safe workplace, but the requirements are less stringent.
The Problems with AHERA and Asbestos in Schools
In-place management of asbestos is not unusual. In many other buildings, old asbestos is kept in place and safely contained. Asbestos only poses a health risk if the fibers break off and become airborne.
If asbestos is contained within a material and not exposed, these tiny fibers remain intact and embedded in the material, posing no risk to anyone who uses the building.
However, this plan is not entirely foolproof. Maintenance work, environmental damage, renovations, and vandalism can accidentally damage asbestos-containing materials, exposing the tiny fibers and allowing them to float in the air.
Another issue is the enforcement of the rules. A government watchdog group recently found that the EPA has largely failed to monitor asbestos in schools. Between 2011 and 2015, it only conducted about 13% of the inspections in the 29 states for which it is responsible. Other states handle their own asbestos school inspections.[2]
Asbestos in University Buildings
Asbestos exposure is also an issue on many university campuses, but they are not covered by the same laws as primary and secondary schools. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, manages asbestos in university buildings.
OSHA sets workplace asbestos limit standards and requires universities to adhere to them. These regulations include regular surveys of buildings for asbestos, records of maintenance and construction, and notifications and warning signs when asbestos is found.
Who Is at Risk of Asbestos Exposure in Schools?
Anyone who spends time in schools with asbestos could be exposed. Teachers are at a higher risk of prolonged asbestos exposure than students because they often spend years in the same building.
Other staff members are also at risk, including administrators, aids and paraprofessionals, food service staff, and janitors. Janitors and maintenance workers are at particular risk of asbestos exposure in schools. Their work could involve disrupting asbestos materials.
Are Teachers at Risk for Mesothelioma?
Asbestos exposure can potentially result in a rare form of cancer called mesothelioma. People at an increased risk for developing it typically work in environments that contain asbestos.
Construction, shipbuilding, and industrial workers carry the greatest burden of exposure and illness; however, teachers are also at a greater risk of having mesothelioma than the general population.
Statistics show that teachers are twice as likely to die from mesothelioma as people in the general population, with elementary school teachers carrying the most significant risk.[3]
Although the risk is lower for teachers than in some fields, like construction, it is actually higher than for those who work in other at-risk fields, like railroads and chemical manufacturing.
Studies investigating mesothelioma deaths in teachers ruled out other potential sources of asbestos exposure, concluding that most victims encountered asbestos on the job. In some cases, researchers found damaged asbestos in the buildings where these teachers worked.
In one specific case, researchers linked a teacher’s mesothelioma to the faculty lounge. The teacher’s lounge in this school building was in the boiler room. Asbestos insulation was once commonly used in and around boilers.
Are Teachers Still Exposed to Asbestos?
Even today, teachers and students can still be exposed to asbestos in older school buildings. The most common sources of exposure are damaged or worn materials.
Damaged drywall, plaster, flooring, and ceiling tiles can contain exposed asbestos. Wallboard, chipped paint, fireproofing materials, and insulation are also potential sources of asbestos that could enter the air and contaminate a school.
Teachers, like other workers, have a right to a safe workplace. OSHA limits the amount of asbestos in the air, while the EPA regulates asbestos management in school buildings.
However, teachers are still regularly exposed to this dangerous substance and risk developing asbestos-related illnesses. If you are a teacher and believe you have been exposed to asbestos, ask your doctor about mesothelioma and related illnesses.
Early screening can lead to early diagnosis and improve your prognosis and treatment options. Contact a mesothelioma lawyer, too. You have a right to safety in the workplace. If you have been denied that and became sick as a result, you may be able to recover damages.
Examples of Asbestos Exposure in Schools
There are countless examples of school districts putting teachers, staff, and students at risk of asbestos exposure. Some of these, unfortunately, involve teachers who developed mesothelioma.
Asbestos in California Schools
In 2014, three schools in Huntington Beach, California, closed because of asbestos. A school board member filed a complaint to OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, citing the potential mishandling of asbestos in these schools.
Over the summer, the district was renovating several older buildings. During the renovation, a contractor mishandled the abatement of asbestos-containing, fireproofed ceiling tiles.[4]
Although several schools in the district closed temporarily, these three specific schools were closed for nearly two years to complete proper abatement. The schools only reopened in 2016, and it cost the district $6 million.[4]
Asbestos in Pennsylvania Schools
Philadelphia elementary school teacher Lea DiRusso was diagnosed with mesothelioma after almost three decades of teaching in old, asbestos-laden school buildings. The heating pipes that spanned her classroom walls were insulated with asbestos materials.[5]
Each year, as DiRusso hung up her students’ work from a clothesline attached to the pipes, the pressure of the line rubbed off little pieces of asbestos insulation. Over the years, these actions and others caused asbestos dust to fall into the room. She cleaned it up, not understanding the risk.[5]
Her decades of work in two older school buildings exposed DiRusso to more asbestos than she would have come into contact with otherwise. Diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma at age fifty-one, her doctors believe her work environment was a major contributing factor.
The school district has now listed her classroom as a top priority for asbestos abatement and has given staff tips for working safely around asbestos.
Another Pennsylvania case involved felony charges against Scranton School District administrators. The Pennsylvania attorney general charged a superintendent, director of operations, and maintenance supervisor with reckless endangerment.
The administrators knew about lead in the water and asbestos in several classrooms, cafeterias, and restrooms. They failed to do enough to protect students and staff. Evidence against them included emails describing classroom ceilings caving in and sending dust through the air.[6]
What Can Teachers Do About Asbestos?
If you suspect or just want to know if your building contains asbestos, you have a right to know. Federal law requires the district to inspect buildings regularly. Administrators should provide you with information about those inspections if you request it.
Teachers’ unions represent the interests of their members. Talk to your union representative about asbestos concerns. They can advocate for better handling of asbestos in school buildings.
Symptoms of asbestos illnesses often don’t appear for decades after exposure. If you think or know your building contains asbestos, consider seeing your doctor for a screening or to talk about symptoms. The earlier you get a diagnosis, the more treatable the condition is.
How Teachers Can Take Legal Action for Mesothelioma
You can also contact a local asbestos or mesothelioma lawyer to find out what you can do if you receive a mesothelioma diagnosis. You may be able to file a lawsuit to seek compensation for medical expenses.
Teachers with asbestos illnesses might be able to sue a school district or companies that supplied asbestos materials when schools were built. If those companies went bankrupt, they might be eligible to file a claim for compensation with an asbestos trust fund.
If you are a teacher who now has an asbestos illness, don’t hesitate to act. There are time limits to taking legal action. Talk to an experienced mesothelioma attorney right away.
Mary Ellen Ellis
WriterMary Ellen Ellis has been the head writer for Mesothelioma.net since 2016. With hundreds of mesothelioma and asbestos articles to her credit, she is one of the most experienced writers on these topics. Her degrees and background in science and education help her explain complicated medical topics for a wider audience. Mary Ellen takes pride in providing her readers with the critical information they need following a diagnosis of an asbestos-related illness.
Dave Foster
Page EditorDave has been a mesothelioma Patient Advocate for over 10 years. He consistently attends all major national and international mesothelioma meetings. In doing so, he is able to stay on top of the latest treatments, clinical trials, and research results. He also personally meets with mesothelioma patients and their families and connects them with the best medical specialists and legal representatives available.
References
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2020, January 20). Asbestos and School Buildings.
Retrieved from: https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/asbestos-and-school-buildings - Green, M. (2018, September 17). Gov Watchdog: EPA Failed to Properly Monotor Asbestos at Schools. The Hill.
Retrieved from: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/407063-gov-watchdog-epa-failed-to-properly-monitor-asbestos-at-schools/ - Environmental Working Group Action Fund. (n.d.). Firefighters and Teachers Bear Outsize Burden of Asbestos Deaths.
Retrieved from: http://www.asbestosnation.org/firefighters-and-teachers-bear-outsize-burden-of-asbestos-deaths/ - Mellen, G. (2016, September 8). Two Years after Asbestos Scare, Huntington Beach School Reopens with District’s First STEAM Program. The Orange County Register.
Retrieved from: https://www.ocregister.com/articles/-728269–.html - Ruderman, W. and Graham, K.A. (2019, November 21). Cancer in the Classroom. The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Retrieved from: https://www.inquirer.com/education/a/mesothelioma-philadelphia-school-district-lea-dirusso-cancer-20191121.html - Bryan, M. (2020, September 20). Scranton Officials Face Felony Charges for Inaction on Lead, Asbestos. WHYY.
Retrieved from: https://whyy.org/articles/school-officials-charged-over-lead-asbestos-contamination/