Asbestos
Asbestos is a mineral with long, strong, flexible, threadlike fibers that
are relatively indestructible, heat resistant and chemically stable. These
properties led it to be used in more than 3,000 different products, but particularly
in insulation and fireproofing. An estimated 3.5 million tons were installed
in schools and public buildings before being banned in New York City in 1970.
It is most frequently found in schools in plaster, spray-on insulation, insulation
on pipes and boilers, and floor and ceiling tiles.
If asbestos fibers are firmly bonded or compacted within other material — such
as a plaster wall — it’s considered relatively safe. If water damage,
abrasion or sloppy repair work occurs, microscopic fibers can be released
into the air where it can be inhaled, swallowed or attached to clothing.
This form of asbestos — called “friable” — poses the
greatest health risk. Asbestos is tasteless and odorless.
When breathed, microscopic asbestos fibers can lodge in the lungs and other
internal organs. Because of their strength and chemical stability, the body
cannot break them down. Some people who have had prolonged, heavy exposure
to large amounts of asbestos — most famously asbestos miners and World
War II shipbuilders — may develop rare and potentially fatal lung diseases.
There is no evidence that classroom personnel have ever contacted these diseases.
However, the UFT insists on the remote possibility of asbestos hazards and
demands a clean-up whenever there is damage to asbestos-containing materials
in school.
Every school should have been inspected to identify any areas containing
asbestos. A copy of this report should be in the principal's office. If you
see that an area of your school has deteriorated, tell your chapter leader,
who can check the report or discuss this with the custodian and see if the
area poses an asbestos hazard. If so, he or she will notify the union.
The UFT fought for and won a state law that will protect you in the future.
If at some point you become ill — and believe it to be school asbestos-related— you
may file suit.
When the union has determined that a school posed an asbestos health threat,
we have forced the school to close until the asbestos was cleaned up. The
UFT lobbied the city to enact a law requiring additional tests before any
renovation work is begun.
We trained chapter leaders to be an early warning
system, trained an in-house health and safety team, hired industrial hygienists
and brought in laboratories to conduct independent tests of asbestos and
other hazardous conditions. Whenever there's a question, the union sends
in its own experts and, if necessary, insists on school closings based on
their findings. The UFT will not allow children or adults into a building
that poses a health threat.