A school-sponsored project allegedly exposed teenagers to asbestos.
News reports suggest that students from Buckeye Educational School, a small Christian school in Ohio, participated in a volunteer project that involved removing debris from an old building filled with asbestos.
One witness describes seeing students, some as young as 13, working in a building surrounded with clouds of toxic dust particles.
“The entire site was contaminated with asbestos and the people doing it were all children,” said Darren Clink. Clink lives next to the former YWCA that the school hopes to remodel and turn into an expansion for the school. “The kids were loaded with it.”
Clink filmed up to 40 students, along with other volunteers, removing debris from the building without proper protection.
The state’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) examined the site and found asbestos in the building’s floor tiles, duct fabric and pipes. School officials say that they are now complying with environmental standards and seeking assistance from certified consultants.
Removing asbestos improperly is against the law. Certified asbestos abatement officials must receive valid certifications from EPA-approved institutions. Anyone who removes asbestos without a license or hires unlicensed individuals to remove asbestos could face fines and jail time.
Each year, 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fatal cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Health officials have said that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. If you know someone suffering from a disease caused by asbestos, call our office at 1-888-637-6347 and ask about our free consultations. We can help recover compensation for your illness and loss.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – asbestos lawyers