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February 20, 2013
Phoenix, Arizona - p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that six Arizona school districts have been fined nearly $100,000 for asbestos issues that violate the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA).
According to a story aired on CBS5-Arizona, in excess of 15,000 children attend the 25 Arizona schools that have been deemed not compliant with AHERA. When the schools were inspected at the end of 2011, inspectors reported that they found numerous violations including "failing to inspect facilities for asbestos-containing materials, failing to re-inspect campuses with known asbestos-containing materials, and failing to have an Asbestos Management Plan."
The EPA reports that all the districts have been notified and plan to make the adjustments or other steps necessary to be in compliance. With cooperation, many of the fines may be reduced to zero or to just a small portion of the current assessed penalties.
"Asbestos in schools has the potential to harm the health of students, teachers, and maintenance workers," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. Asbestos is a known carcinogen, able to cause diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer.
Laws put in place by the EPA require that school districts in the United States conduct an initial inspection, done by a licensed asbestos contractor, to determine if and where asbestos-containing materials are located within their buildings. If any materials are found, a management plan must then be put in place to ensure the safety of those inside. Parents and others should be given free access to these reports and plans. Surveillance and re-inspection of the materials should be done at mandated intervals.
The six districts cited include: St. John's Unified School District in Apache County, Florence Unified School District in Pinal County, Vernon Elementary School District in Apache County, McNary Elementary School District on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, and Round Valley Unified School District, also in Apache County.
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