Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently fined five Arizona charter school operators for violations of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. There is no immediate danger to students, faculty or the community, but the schools failed to conduct federally required safety inspections to ensure there was no asbestos-containing material present, and did not have in place an asbestos management plan, also a requirement. Fines totaled close to $40,000 for all five schools.

Facilities included in the sanction are Phoenix Advantage Charter School, The Arts Academy at Estrella Mountain and South Mountain, The Hearn Academy, Tuscon Preparatory School, and AAEC at Paradise Valley, South Mountain and Red Mountain. Following the inspection, asbestos-containing materials were found and identified at Phoenix Advantage Charter School, Arts Academy’s South Mountain location, and Hearn Academy.

EPA spokesperson Katherine Taylor, associate director for the Communities and Ecosystems Division in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region is quoted as saying, “All schools, including charter schools, need to conduct asbestos inspection and have asbestos management plans.” She went on to say that “asbestos in schools has the potential for endangering the health of students, teachers, and others, including maintenance workers.”

An asbestos management plan is kept on file in school administrative offices, and is available for inspection by parents, teachers and the general public. Schools are required by the EPA to appoint a designated person to oversee asbestos activities, and to conduct periodic re-inspection of asbestos-containing materials in the facility.

Asbestos is dangerous when it is disturbed, when it can release microscopic fibers that can be inhaled and which remain in the body indefinitely. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, as well as mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, and sometimes the stomach and/or heart.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 1:27 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.