Cape Cod Students Exposed to Asbestos During School Renovations

A high school on Cape Cod was fined more than $3,000 by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (Mass DLS) after renovations being performed by the schools carpentry students and its teacher exposed them to loose asbestos.

According to Wicked Local Cape Cod, Cape Cod Regional Technical High School was fined $3,300 it was discovered that nine students and their instructor were exposed to asbestos dust while removing roughly 600-square-feet of vinyl tiles from the interior floor of a building located on the school grounds that was built in the 1970s. The tiles were found to contain asbestos.

Cape Tech Superintendent Robert P. Sanborn III said that the renovations were being done to convert the building into a new classroom.

This is the second asbestos-related run in with the law that the school has had in the last few months. The Mass DLS asked the school to produce an asbestos management plan to comply with the federal Asbestos Emergency Response Act in late 2011. While the school said it had previously worked on a plan, they could not produce one.

“I feel terrible that our students were exposed even for the limited amount of time,” said Sanborn. “All the other stuff we are doing is getting up to speed on the regulations that we were not in compliance with. We will be fully compliant going forward.”

If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos at a school and now suffer from mesothelioma, there may be legal options available. Contact Sokolove Law today to learn more about possibly pursuing amesothelioma lawsuit.