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Tennessee report reveals 19 asbestos-laden schools require abatement
A recent report regarding the schools and other buildings owned by Tennessee's Jackson-Madison County School System has revealed that 19 area schools contain asbestos, a material linked to the development of the rare cancer mesothelioma. The cancer can develop slowly over the course of several decades, and some victims perish from mesothelioma mere months after being diagnosed.
Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 new patients each year in the United States, and thousands more abroad. Asbestos exposure can also lead to asbestosis, lung cancer, and pleural plaques.
The schools are Alexander Elementary, Andrew Jackson Intermediate, Beech Bluff Elementary, East Intermediate, Jackson Central-Merry High School east campus, Madison Academic Magnet High, Lincoln Elementary, Malesus Elementary, North Parkway Elementary, North Side High, Nova Elementary, Parkview Montessori, Pope Elementary, South Side High, Tigrett Middle, Washington Douglas, West Jackson, West Middle and Whitehall Elementary.
According to Buddy White, the school system's director of operations, the buildings which contain asbestos are checked every 6 months by certified staffers. This ensures that the buildings are in step with federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. In addition, local officials are required by law to make the asbestos management plan available. The plan for each school is kept in the principal's office.
Asbestos in schools is currently a hot topic. Recently, Memphis attorney Richard Fields, who represents plaintiffs in the school system's 46-year-old desegregation lawsuit, brought the asbestos issue to the forefront of public discussions. Fields has threatened district officials that he plans to file a lawsuit against the district if asbestos concerns are not taken seriously.