EPA Fines Several Arizona High Schools For Asbestos Offences

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has slammed three Arizona Charter schools with fines for violating 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 Act, which has been in effect since 1986, outlines 8 precautions that must be taken to protect students and staff from exposure to asbestos. These steps include instructing 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 lethal asbestos related disease is Mesothelioma, a form of cancer that breaks down the protective linings surrounding the lungs, heart and organs. It generally lies dormant for up to five decades, making it notoriously difficult to monitor or catch at an early stage. Once it is acknowledged, the sufferer usually only has a year to live.

The Arizona high schools were found guilty of failing to conduct initial inspections or developing an asbestos management plan. Another five schools broke similar regulations but were lucky enough to be found to not contain any asbestos.

The schools were fined a total of nearly $30,000 and are now all in compliance with AHERA regulations. One of the worst offenders, Cave Creek High School in Phoenix, was fined for failure of 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.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 31st, 2010 at 3:24 am and is filed under mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.