While most asbestos products were banned in the United States by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the late 1970’s, many still exist within older structures across the country. A recent Boulder, Colorado school closing highlights this.
Students were sent home from Boulder’s Mesa Elementary School after air quality tests revealed trace levels of asbestos in the air. Fears heightened when a dampened ceiling tile fell to the floor. The school was forced to close as environmental consultants and maintenance workers cleaned the area and conducted further air testing.
Unfortunately, these school closings are becoming more and more common as older asbestos materials within them become older or damaged. As these products age, they become more hazardous.
Among the most common structures in which asbestos is found today is within schools. Older municipal buildings, such as schools, used a great deal of asbestos to insulate their fixtures, piping, and boilers. These products are now getting older and more hazardous, endangering students and staff of a harmful asbestos exposure.
Asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that originates in the lining of our internal organs. The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center encourages asbestos abatement in all school buildings affected by these hazardous products.
The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center is the web’s foremost resource for information related to asbestos exposure, mesothelioma cancer, mesothelioma treatment options and more. Please visit www.maacenter.org for further information.
