Custodian Involved in Asbestos Battle

Article Added December 26th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story

A Connecticut school custodian is alleging that he was exposed to asbestos for almost 15 years while working in tunnels. The school board is countering that all workers in the tunnel were protected from asbestos exposure.

A custodian for a Connecticut school is battling the district’s superintendent over asbestos exposure. The man claims that, while doing repairs in tunnels located under the Gainfield Elementary School, he was crawling through asbestos material for more than a decade. He also states that the school board never made him aware that the dust he was breathing in was a deadly substance. He claims that no protective gear or training was given to handle the exposure. The man has since experienced respiratory issues, and is suing the district.

District leaders replied that, since the man was employed in 1986, asbestos was acknowledged in the tunnels. It is also said that safety gear, including respirators, as well as training material and classes were offered at that time. While the exact illness of the former custodian has not been diagnosed, asbestos exposure can lead to asbestosis, emphysema and a form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. All of the diseases can take years to manifest and be properly diagnosed; of the three, only mesothelioma can be treated effectively, but only if caught in the very early stages of the disease.

Article Added December 26th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story