Union Cites EPA Documents : Asbestos Cleanup May Heighten Cancer Risk

Efforts to remove cancer-causing asbestos from the nation’s schools may be backfiring and actually increasing the risk of cancer because the cleanups are being conducted improperly, according to documents obtained by a labor union and released Wednesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency documents show that more than three-fourths of the schools in one study failed to remove their asbestos properly, increasing the risk of cancer to those performing the cleanup as well as students and teachers in the buildings. In addition, the documents found, many schools might have failed to remove all of their asbestos.

“Asbestos removal is normally safe, except when you try to remove it and don’t know what you’re doing--then you can kill yourself,” Daniel Guttman, attorney for the Service Employees International Union, which is suing the EPA, said at a news conference. The union says that about 100,000 of its members are school workers who potentially would be affected by such cleanups.

Asbestos Hearing Today

The EPA documents were released in advance of a potentially contentious hearing today by the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee on asbestos removal problems.

Susan Vogt, director of the EPA’s asbestos action program, said that she could not discount any figures in the document released by the union, but added that most of the studies were based on “anecdotal evidence.”

In the last six months, the EPA has tried to offer technical assistance to schools removing asbestos, agency spokesman Al Heier said. But the EPA shuns uniform regulations on the issue, he said, preferring to have asbestos problems taken care of locally.

“You have so many variables, we don’t know what kind of rules would cover all the issues,” Heier said.

The union is seeking the creation of federal regulations that would require asbestos cleanups under specified guidelines, at public and commercial buildings as well as schools, and would set standards for the protection of workers during removal. The EPA documents were obtained as part of the legal proceedings.

Used as Insulation

Asbestos, a known carcinogen, has been widely used in schools for decades to insulate pipes, ceilings and walls. In 1982, the EPA required school districts nationwide to inspect their buildings for damaged or flaking asbestos.

Of 95,000 schools surveyed in one EPA study, the documents showed that 90% had completed a cleanup, were conducting one or were planning one. But at the same time, the study also said less than 25% of those schools reported proper removals, which include inspection, sampling, analysis, notification and thorough record-keeping.

In addition, the study said, unreported asbestos was discovered at 25 of 90 schools where a cleanup or investigation already had taken place.

However, Vogt said that a study conducted in March showed improved results and the EPA regional officials reported that only 18% of asbestos removals had been conducted improperly.

Urging that only certified workers conduct asbestos searches and cleanups, Guttman said that nonexperts in such situations might actually endanger more lives than they save. The workers themselves could face the threat of cancer if they have direct contact with flaking asbestos and additional students might be threatened if it is not entirely removed, he said.

‘Worst-Case Scenario’

In a study of the “worst-case scenario” at 8,840 schools, the EPA documents indicated that as many as 1,190 more cancer cases would result from an unsuccessful attempt to remove asbestos than if the asbestos were removed properly.

“The EPA can’t show that it’s not killing people,” Guttman said.

The documents obtained by the union showed that the EPA officials initially supported some of the labor organization’s requests, but Guttman charged the agency later “flip-flopped” its position.

John A. Moore, assistant EPA administrator for pesticides and toxic substances, last year proposed guidelines for cleanup reform in response to the union’s lawsuit. According to the documents, the agency dropped Moore’s proposals after expressing interest in them.