Forty-five years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency called asbestos in schools \u201ca significant hazard to public health.\u201d Yet today, in 2025, the agency estimates that some sixteen million Americans<\/a>, mostly children, are exposed to asbestos every time the bell rings. That number is poised to go up, as the 2025 California wildfires damaged many schools and other public buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, the exposure risk doesn\u2019t end with students and staff. In fact, in many ways it\u2019s just beginning. Demolition and renovation workers regularly stumble upon asbestos when they clean up damaged buildings. Additionally, when these workers, students, and teachers go home, they unwittingly carry asbestos fibers home with them. These fibers then poison an ever-widening circle of people. More on that below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, before construction workers enter damaged public buildings, the state, county, city, or other owner must conduct a thorough safety inspection. These inspections are required by law. But most drivers don\u2019t stop at the stop sign on the corner, and most public authorities don\u2019t properly inspect facilities. An asbestos exposure lawyer<\/a> holds these authorities responsible for these shortcomings and forces them to compensate asbestos exposure victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We mentioned the kinds of asbestos exposure victims above. Now, let\u2019s break it down a little more, in the context of damaged schools and other public buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lung diseases, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, are the most common asbestos exposure illnesses. Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer which has a very high fatality rate. Asbestosis is a lung disease that closes breathing passageways, causing victims to almost literally suffocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of these facilities, especially libraries<\/a>, were built before 1980, when builders heavily used asbestos<\/a>, a fireproof substance, in attic insulation and other areas, such as concrete, ceiling tiles, and drywall. Asbestos is safe as long as it\u2019s trapped inside walls or attics. But it\u2019s highly toxic when released into the air, perhaps because a fire damaged the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, builders normally used chrysotile (white) asbestos. This substance is very easy to stuff into attics and wrap around pipes or wires. But this substance, which resembles a few layers of tissue paper, breaks down easily. As a result, dust and fibers almost inevitably float into the air<\/a> if the asbestos is disturbed..<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even many years after students are exposed to asbestos, the governmental unit that owned the building could be liable for damages. Given the awful nature of asbestos exposure illnesses, and also because so many people were exposed to this substance, damages could be substantial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, a good asbestos safety inspection is essential<\/a> before a school or other public building reopens after a fire or other disaster. A thorough inspection has four basic components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned, most buildings constructed before 1980 are laced with asbestos. A health warning is essential, both for legal and moral purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Legally, a warning makes it easier to prove assumption of the risk, a key defense in negligence cases. Assumption of the risk is a subset of comparative fault, a legal doctrine that shifts blame for an accident or illness from one party to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A warning, by itself, isn\u2019t enough to protect people. School and other public building owners must go the extra mile, beginning with an ambient air test.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAsbestos Exposure Hazards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Schools, Public Buildings, and Asbestos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Safety Inspection Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Exposure Warning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Air Test<\/h3>\n\n\n\n