During water damage repairs, a serious asbestos cancer risk at school grounds in Ohio was discovered.

According to officials from the Austintown school district, the gymnasium will be back in use by sometime in October, despite the discovery of asbestos at the school.

The asbestos cancer risk at school was first discovered after the gym floor was torn up in early June to fix some major water damage. A pipe had burst in the girls’ restroom nearby, allowing water damage to warp the flooring of the gym.

Because the school building is around 50 years old, instead of simply fixing the water damage, the district was required to test for asbestos at school during the repair work.

The asbestos measurement tests showed levels at 10 percent in the padding beneath the gym’s floorboards. The Supervisor of Grounds and Facilities of the school district, Malvern C., says that this level of asbestos is grounds to replace the entire gym floor.

This repair work is expected to take months, especially in light of the necessity of eliminating any asbestos cancer risk at school.

During repair work, Environmental Protection Services will seal off the gym according to proper asbestos procedure to protect students, staff, and workers from possible asbestos exposure at school. The asbestos removal may take up to two weeks on its own.

The cost the district is facing for safe asbestos removal is around $95,000. The new gym flooring will be an additional $240,000. Fortunately, these costs are fully covered by the school’s insurance policy.

Asbestos Cancer

Cancer from asbestos exposure is generally a latent disease, lying dormant for years before showing itself through symptoms. Though latent, asbestos cancer is life-threatening.

In a vast majority of cases, asbestos exposure affects construction workers. This is because construction workers traditionally deal with sites, materials, and equipment containing asbestos.

As workers grind and saw materials containing asbestos, asbestos fibers can be released into the air and enter workers’ lungs. If they are unaware of the possibility of asbestos exposure or do not have the proper equipment, workers can be exposed to asbestos and the possibility of being diagnosed with an asbestos cancer like asbestos lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Though asbestos cancer risk is more common for construction workers, anyone who is exposed to asbestos may be diagnosed with asbestos cancer. The asbestos cancer becomes more likely if exposure is constant, such as from a building in which they continuously work, study, or live in.

Since asbestos cancer lies dormant for many years, it can often remain undetected until it has quietly progressed to its later and more fatal stages, when it is less responsive to treatment.

Filing an Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer after asbestos exposure, you may be able to file a lawsuit.

While filing an asbestos cancer lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of someone diagnosed with asbestos cancer, or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to compensate for financial expenses that are often incurred through medical bills and lost wages.