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Oregon School Fined for Asbestos

The improper use or removal of asbestos often leads to a mesothelioma lawsuit as people develop the deadly disease decades after they are exposed. Mesothelioma lawyers are working to protect our future generations from asbestos as much as they are fighting for past generations who have already fallen victim to the disease.

State environmental departments are also working to defend our children from the deadly effects of asbestos. Oregons Department of Environmental Quality recently fined one of the states school districts $33,000 for violations of asbestos regulations during a renovation.

The fine centered around asbestos removal at Metolius Elementary School in the summer of 2009. While contractors removed approximately 260 square feet of floor tiles that contained asbestos, the Department found that they likely released deadly asbestos fibers into the air. Most troubling is the fact that asbestos is most dangerous when released into the air and that the project took place while students were attending summer school.

Exposure to asbestos has been shown to cause the deadly disease mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer that attacks the linings of the bodys organs. Because of its extended latency period, around 20 years or more, it goes undetected for decades. This makes children especially vulnerable to developing the disease during their prime years.

Asbestos removal violations such as this are shockingly common, as the removal process is tedious and expensive. Workers must be trained in proper methods, sufficiently protected with the right clothing, and vigilant at adhering to removal standards. Cutting corners to save time and money is often a problem.

While asbestos regulations have been enacted by all states, violations are common. Asbestos removal work can be expensive, and difficult. It requires contractors and property owners to be vigilant, testing for the material and making sure that any asbestos removed or handled is done so properly. Workers and others nearby also need to be properly protected by special clothing or sufficient warnings.