Everyone who has been exposed to asbestos would like to think the stuff is sealed up in our past. The problematic fiber has been implicated in respiratory problems as serious as cancer in the last century, although it has been used in cookery and construction since the days of Ancient Greece.
Louisiana is still reckoning with asbestos’ heyday as an insulator in ships, industrial fixtures and many types of buildings. Many civic structures such as courthouses and schools used wholesale quantities of the stuff as platforms or chips. Two schools in the Crescent City will spend the next year out of commission as the mess is cleaned up.
A lawsuit regarding one of the schools alleges that the builder and some of its contractors failed to disclose the discovery of asbestos to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The cleanup will cost millions of dollars regardless of a finding of legal liability against the builder.
The services for each school were already being held in other schools’ buildings or satellite locations. They will stay there or have to find a new location until the middle of 2020, according to releases regarding the project.
“Many parents and students were upset that they were not notified of the report earlier, which [one of the school’s operator] understands led to some students switching to other schools,” according to the lawsuit.
People who experience illness and financial losses due to asbestos removal or remediation may have a case for damages. An attorney can assist these legal issues in discussions for settlements or in civil court.