High School Lesson: Asbestos 101

September 23, 2010

Fontana, CA Debbie was recently told by a maintenance worker where she teaches high school that she should stay away from her classroom wall because there's asbestos behind it. Understandably concerned, she approached the principal. "Don't worry about it, as long as you don't tack anything on the wall," he said. Debbie and her students have been tacking decorations and art on the walls for the past five years, and in so doing may have caused asbestos to become airborne.



The principal should familiarize himself with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), a policy for handling asbestos-containing materials in all American schools, which includes:



- Ongoing observation of all asbestos containing materials (ACMs)

- Removal of ACMs which are judged to post a health risk

- Identification of friable asbestos with clearly visible warning signage

- Education regarding the location of ACMs in the building

- Training of custodial staff regarding proper procedures around ACMs

- Regular surveillance and re-inspections of known ACMs to monitor changes

- Recording all activities related to ACM handling or disposition in schools



Asbestos cleanup and removal is costly. Could that be the reason Debbie's principal is being so nonchalant about this potential health hazard? If your child were in the classroom and tacking pictures on the wall, you would likely read this principal the riot act.



Debbie (not her real name) has been teaching at this school for five years. Ironically, the teachers are required by administration to hang student artwork on the walls.



"I was trying to get my wall together for the next administration evaluation and asked maintenance to help me tack a piece of felt onto the wall," says Debbie. "I wanted to put the students' works on the felt. 'You aren't supposed to touch that wall because there is asbestos back there,' he said, and then added, 'I'm not supposed to talk to you about it.'



"I then asked if anything was getting done about removing the asbestos. 'There is a long-term plan for remodeling and the asbestos will be going out eventually,' he told me. Eventually?



"I talked to the theater teacher; she said there was asbestos in her classroom and they took it out last year. Maybe they did it in the summertime when we aren't in class.



"My concern is that I have been tacking stuff on this wall for five years, and now I am told that we can't do that. I understand that as long as asbestos isn't disturbed it is safe, but some of the wall panels have been damaged. You can see little squares that have been perforated. I wonder if we are tacking right into asbestos.



"The maintenance man also advised that we stay away from the wall as much as possible. What good will that do if the asbestos fibers are airborne?



"I emailed the principal last week with my asbestos concern. He responded with this email: 'You are OK to use blue tape for items that need to be displayed but you are not allowed to punch holes or dig into the wall as it may disturb the asbestos underneath the soundproofing. You are OK to hang things there as long as you don't dig into the wall.'



"Why hasn't someone warned us?



"I'm also concerned that the principal thinks I am a troublemaker, but this is scary. My uncle was a bricklayer and he got lung cancer from asbestos. And of course I am concerned about my students.



"So I emailed my union representative, who was shocked to hear about this complaint.

He asked me a few questions and yesterday he talked to the principal. I should hear back from the union very soon.



"If not for the maintenance guy warning me, we could still be tacking stuff to the walls. He also told me not to touch the wall, but in order to put up blue tape—as the principal instructed—we have to touch it.



"Bottom line, asbestos fibers are airborne. Why are we even in these rooms? I have 50 students in my class and as far as I'm concerned they are all at risk."

Mesothelioma can lie dormant for up to five decades and typically kills people within a year of diagnosis. It usually has a latency of about 19 years, which means that a high school student could exhibit symptoms of this fatal disease at about the age of 35.