Three Arizona Charter schools have been fined by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for violations regarding the ‘AHERA’, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. The Act is in place to regulate, inspect, catalogue and handle asbestos in all US schools.

The 1986 Act highlights 8 main precautions that must be taken to protect students and staff from exposure to the lethal material. These steps include training maintenance staff on asbestos awareness and handling, conducting a six month periodic survey of asbestos sources, creating an asbestos management plan that is accessible to all staff and parents, ensure ongoing documentation of all asbestos related activity.

Although asbestos is outlawed, these rules are in place to make sure that any pre-existing material is dealt with by trained professionals and to make sure it isn’t damaged by renovations or age. Asbestos is considered to be safe by the EPA as long as it is in tact but once broken or exposed; it releases microscopic fibres which can lead to several forms of unique yet fatal cancer.

The most prominent form of asbestos related cancer is Mesothelioma which breaks down the protective linings surrounding the lungs, heart and organs. It usually lies dormant for up to five decades, making it notoriously difficult to monitor or catch at an early stage. One manifested, it usually results in a prognosis of around one year to live.

The Arizona schools were found to be failing to conduct initial inspections or developing an asbestos management plan. There were five other schools that broke similar regulations but were found to not contain any asbestos.

Overall, the EPA fined the schools nearly $30,000 and now all three are in compliance with AHERA regulations. The worst offender, Cave Creek High School in Phoenix, was fined for failure to conduct ongoing inspections after it documented 12,580 square feet of asbestos-containing building material on its premises.

Following the publication of these breach of regulations, many of the students have undergone health checks to make sure they were not affected by any exposure, if so they could be eligible for a mesothelioma claim as long as they hire a decent asbestos lawyer.

categories: asbestos,education,law,respiratory diseases,mesothelioma,schools,lung cancer

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