Health and Safety Tips: Asbestos Advice for Schools

Asbestos in schools

Around half of the schools currently operating in the US were originally built in the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, asbestos was considered to be a miracle mineral, with significant insulative and fire-resistant properties, and was used extensively to manufacture a vast range of building materials. 

Many schools were built with asbestos materials and products.

Asbestos-containing products do not typically pose any danger to health as long as they remain intact and are left undisturbed. However, when they are disturbed, they will emit dangerous microscopic fibers into the air to be inhaled or ingested by anyone in the vicinity. Ingesting or inhaling asbestos fibers can cause severe health issues, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma (a rare, aggressive form of cancer). 

Asbestos materials become dangerous when they can release harmful asbestos fibers.

As these school buildings age, the asbestos-containing materials begin to deteriorate. They can also be damaged easily during careless maintenance work or negligent abatement procedures.

Until the 1980s, asbestos-containing building materials were used in the construction of schools. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the majority of America’s primary and secondary schools still feature asbestos-containing materials within their structure.

What is being done about asbestos in schools?

In 1986, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) was passed in Congress, aimed at protecting students and teachers from the dangers of asbestos in schools.

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)

AHERA requires that all public school districts (and not-for-profit private schools) adhere to the following guidelines:

• Train a designated person to oversee all asbestos-related issues
• Prepare and maintain an asbestos management plan
• Conduct 3-yearly inspections of the building’s asbestos-containing materials
• Respond appropriately to reduce or prevent asbestos hazards
• Provide teachers and parents with an annual update regarding the school’s asbestos management plan and any abatement actions
• Ensure that only certified contractors carry out inspections and abatements
• Train staff in asbestos-awareness

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carefully managed asbestos-containing products pose relatively little risk. As such, the AHERA rarely enforces the removal of asbestos materials in schools unless their condition deteriorates. 

Ensuring that sufficient measures are being taken to remove asbestos from school buildings

While the guidelines as set out by the AHERA are all well and good in theory, recent findings demonstrate that more needs to be done. 

An Ongoing Danger: Asbestos can still be found in some schools

According to a 2018 report from the EPA’s Office of Inspector General, more needs to be done to satisfactorily reduce asbestos exposure risks in American schools. The report showed that, between 2011 and 2015, only 13% of the required AHERA inspections were actually carried out. 

In the majority of states, the EPA is responsible for ensuring that AHERA-compliant inspections are carried out in schools. 

Some states have waived Federal removal requirements for asbestos in schools.

The states not included in this responsibility are 12 waiver and nine non-waiver states. 

The 12 waiver states are Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and Utah. These states implement their own school asbestos programs. 

The nine non-waiver states are New York, New Jersey, Vermont, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Hawaii. These states also conduct their own inspections, with oversight (and enforcement) by the EPA.

According to the EPA report, between 2011 and 2015, states with federal jurisdictions for asbestos inspections carried out significantly fewer inspections than waiver and non-waiver states.

Don’t Wait. Take Action if you are unsure.

Teachers and parents must connect with school administrators to help ensure that an asbestos management plan is in place and is being maintained. In addition, the school must conduct training to ensure that all staff are aware of how to identify and respond to potential asbestos exposure. This is especially important in federal jurisdiction states where the rate of asbestos inspections is worryingly lacking.