This Is a book excerpt from "Raising Children Toxic Free" That was thought to be relevant to the dealing with of Asbestos. Especially for families with children, particularly young children.
THE SPECIAL HAZARD OF ASBESTOS FOR CHILDREN
Several factors increase the risk for children. Because of their long life expectancy they have many years in which to develop cancers triggered by early exposures. They tend to be much more physically active than adults, and breathe at higher rates and more often by mouth. They spend much of their time close to the floor, where dust and fibers accumulate.
EXTENT OF EXPOSURE
In 1980, the EPA estimated that more than 8,500 schools nationwide had friable, deteriorated asbestos and that approximately 3 million students (and also more than 250,000 teachers, maintenance workers, and other adults) were potentially exposed. The EPA concluded:
A total of between 100 and 7,000 premature deaths are anticipated to occur over the next 30 years as a result of exposure to asbestos in schools. The most reasonable estimate is that there will be approximately 1,000 premature deaths. About 90% of these deaths are expected to occur among persons exposed as schoolchildren. The American Academy of Pediatrics has concurred in this assessment, and noted that virtually all of these preventable deaths will be caused by either lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma.
IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL OF ASBESTOS HAZARDS
How does a parent determine whether a building contains asbestos? How do you ascertain whether the asbestos in a building poses a hazard to your children? And if asbestos is found, what can parents, school officials, and pediatricians do not minimize the risk to children?
The first point to bear in mind is that you are not alone. The medical community across the United States, the EPA, state health departments, and Congress have directed enormously detailed attention to the problem of asbestos in schools and other buildings. They have considered the risks most carefully, and they have developed blueprints for assessing and then minimizing the hazard. The strategy that has been put in place for dealing with asbestos in buildings rests on two principles:
1. Medical screening of children who have been exposed to asbestos in schools and other buildings is not recommended, because asbestos exposure (except for very heavy exposure in an occupational setting) does not produce any detectable physical damage or X-ray changes until twenty, thirty, forty, or more years after exposure.
2. Because no worthwhile medical screening exists, all efforts should focus on the prevention of exposure.
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TABLE 2.
SOURCES OF ASBESTOS EXPOSURE IN SCHOOLS,
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND HOMES*
USES IN SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS
USES IN SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL USES
Boilers and heating vessels Duct insulation
Cement pipe Fire-protection panels
Clutch, brake and transmission components Artificial logs or ashes for fireplaces
Conduits for electrical wire Furnace-insulating pads
Corrosive chemical containers Fuse-box liners
Electrical motor components Heat-register tape and insulation
Heat-protective pads Joint compounds
Laboratory furniture Patching plaster
Paper products Pipe or boiler insulation
Pipe covering Sheet vinyl or floor tiles
Roofing products Shingles
Sealants and coatings Textured acoustical ceiling
Textiles Underlayment for sheet flooring
Theater curtains
*Data from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Public HealthService, 1990.
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THE ASBESTOS HAZARD EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACT
In 1984, acting on this strategy, Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), AHERA is one of the most enlightened and far-reaching pieces of environmental legislation to have been enacted by Congress in recent years. This legislation codified the preventive approaches to the control of asbestos that are now used by the EPA and that must be followed by school districts. AHERA makes federal monies available to school districts with limited financial resources to assist with asbestos control. The act requires the governor's office in each state to develop a priority list of schools in need of funds (see box).
The AHERA legislation and the national program for asbestos control require that the following actions be taken in every school in the United States"
Every room and every surface of every school - public, private, and parochial - must be systematically inspected for the presence of asbestos. Visual inspections followed by microscopic examination of suspect samples are required. Construction records must be reviewed to determine, to the extent possible, how much asbestos was used and where it was utilized. As of this writing, the EPA estimates that more than 99 percent of all school districts have complied with the aspects of the law.
All inspection and abatement of asbestos must be undertaken by properly qualified professional inspectors and contractors. The legislation lays down specific requirements for the training and certification of a range of qualified persons, including project designers, program managers, contractors, and asbestos workers.
Parents, teachers and other relevant groups must be fully informed as to the findings of each school survey.
This extensive series of legal protections should be a source of
considerable security to parents, pediatricians, and school officials.
Unquestionably, the work that has been undertaken in the United States under AHERA has already reduced the hazard of asbestos to our children.
Nevertheless, there have been and will continue to be gaps in implementation and enforcement of the law. The recent scandal in the New York City school system is an unfortunate but instructive example. It is important, therefore, that parents, school officials, and pediatricians be aware of the options that exists for dealing with asbestos.
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ASBESTOS GRANTS FOR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS
In 1984, Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response
Act (AHERA) to protect children and school employees from the hazards
of asbestos in schools. At the same time, Congress passed legislation
authorizing that federal funds be provided to financially needy school
districts to enable them to deal with asbestos hazards.
In 1992, Congress appropriated approximately $52 million for this program nationwide. Funds are disbursed by the EPA, and school districts
that wish to receive funding must apply to the EPA.
To obtain an application package, a school district must contact the EPA Asbestos Coordination Center" 1-800-462-6706, or write: EPA Asbestos Coordination Center, ATLIS Federal Service, Inc., 6011 Executive Blvd., Rockville, MD 20852.
Parents and teachers should check to make certain that their school district has applied for appropriate federal assistance.
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Caution. Parents should be aware that the steps
discussed here for dealing with asbestos are required by federal law only for schools. For other buildings, such as apartment and commercial buildings these steps are recommended by federal law but are not required. Also, federal asbestos grants a re available only for schools, and not for other buildings. Certain states, however, have developed strong regulations that go beyond federal laws and that apply to commercial and apartment buildings.
ADX Asbestos Removal, 125 S Clark St. Chicago IL 60603, 773-345-7074
