Recently, a small school in Ohio is under criminal investigation after children, as young as 13 years old, were very exposed to asbestos-containing building materials while gutting the building as a volunteer school project. A nearby citizen caught on tape the clouds of dust billowing out of dumpsters as the kids handled the asbestos materials.
EPA regulators visited the site and confirmed that there was indeed high levels of asbestos exposure. Almost all the interior walls and ceiling had been removed, leaving the asbestos insulation and other dangerous surfaces exposed. Tests also revealed that the tiles, piping, and flooring also contained asbestos. Experts say they could never be sure of how much asbestos the children had been exposed to.
For now, the children are being advised to log their hours and write down what tasks they performed in the gutting of the building, in hopes that professionals can gauge how much they were exposed to and begin to take restorative measures on the children’s health. Exposure to asbestos can cause devastating affects on respiratory health, even as serious as lung cancer and mesothelioma.
NEVER attempt to remove asbestos materials by yourself, and especially without protective equipment. Asbestos is only to be handled by trained professionals with high levels of precautions. Visit our asbestos page for more information on this hazardous material, and be sure to Contact Healthy Homes BEFORE you begin re-modeling or disturbing the material if you think your house may have asbestos.
