Nearly 200 schools in the Chicago public school system present a risk of asbestos exposure to teachers and students, according to a new report.

The report was compiled by the nonprofit group EWG Action Fund, based in Washington D.C. The group based its report on Chicago Public Schools’ own inspection records.

Those records reportedly show that in 2013 inspectors hired by the school system found “friable” asbestos that had been damaged or was capable of being damaged in 184 schools throughout Chicago.

Friable asbestos is that which is easily crumbled by physical contact. Physically disturbing asbestos in such a way can create a risk of asbestos exposure.

The inspectors recommended removal or repair of the identified asbestos. However, according to the school systems most recent asbestos surveillance update from fall 2015, only 11 schools had complied with the inspectors’ recommendations.

The EWG report singled out three schools that it says are in particular need of asbestos remediation. At Heffernan Elementary School in Westfield Park, inspectors found asbestos-based floor tiles that were “damaged or significantly damaged.”

At Northwest Middle School near Hanson Park, inspectors reported pipe insulation throughout the building that had been damaged. The inspectors recommended repairs there, but as of the fall of 2015 the damaged insulation had not been addressed.

And at Lincoln Park High School, inspectors found damaged insulation throughout the school. Like at Northwest Middle School, that insulation had not been repaired as of fall 2015.

Chicago Public Schools responded to the report by citing the $54 million it has spent on environmental remediation over the past five years. The school system says that since 2012 it has spent over $250,000 on abatement projects in the three schools singled out in the report.

Routine maintenance of asbestos-containing building components like insulation or tiles can cause friable asbestos to become airborne, creating a risk of asbestos exposure. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers can lodge in the respiratory tract and put the victim at risk for diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the membrane surrounding the lungs. It generally does not fully develop until several decades after exposure. It’s always fatal, and its only known cause is asbestos.

Continued Presence of Asbestos in Schools

Even though uses of asbestos were significantly restricted around the 1970s, asbestos continues to be present in many older buildings, including schools. Generally, most school buildings built before 1980 are likely to have been built with some asbestos components.

According to the EPA, the continued presence of asbestos in schools is not necessarily hazardous. But in a risk assessment from 1980, the EPA noted that children’s higher level of physical activity increases their likelihood of disturbing friable asbestos, increasing the risk of asbestos exposure.

The rate of mesothelioma among teachers also suggests a possibly increased risk of asbestos exposure in schools. In a report from 2007, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health noted that elementary school teachers were twice as likely to die from mesothelioma as were Americans in general.