April 6th, 2008

A long term employee of the New York Board of Education was suspended this week, possibly over allegations of asbestos exposure in an elementary school. There were allegations last year that asbestos was found in the open at the school.

The Director of Operations for a New York district was suspended this week without pay. Though no one is saying why the long term district employees was suspended, some officials think the move came after allegations that asbestos was found in the open at a local elementary school. The complaint stated that asbestos was found on the school’s loading dock, and was not properly removed or disposed of safely. The district has been having problems related to asbestos for the past few years.

Exposed asbestos can be a serious health concern, considering exposure has been linked to mesothelioma, emphysema and asbestosis. Asbestos is normally a safe material used in insulation and other mundane items; the material only poses a danger when it becomes friable, or able to become airborne. Breathing in airborne asbestos particles has been directly linked with a form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. The cancer can lay dormant for decades, only to kill the victim months after the diagnosis.