In La Mesa-Spring Valley : EPA, School District Settle in Asbestos Case

The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, in an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will pay an $860 penalty and provide documents proving that the district has corrected violations of EPA guidelines that protect children from exposure to asbestos.

The district has exceeded those guidelines by completing an asbestos reduction program costing $26,800, said EPA spokesman Terry Wilson.

Work has been completed at 15 elementary schools--Lemon Avenue, Kempton Street, Glenn E. Murdock, Avondale, Maryland Avenue, Bancroft, Casa de Oro, Rancho, Fletcher Hills, La Mesa Dale, Northmont, Highlands, Spring Valley, Murray Manor and La Presa--and two junior high schools--La Presa and Spring Valley. Asbestos also was found at the print shop of the district’s Education Center.

Asbestos fibers, often used as insulation, have been known to cause asbestosis, a chronic disease of the lungs that restricts breathing--at times leading to death--and various forms of cancer. Friable asbestos is especially dangerous because it can crumble, turn to dust and be breathed into the lungs, Wilson said. Once in the lungs, the fibers can lay dormant for 20 to 30 years before causing problems.

The EPA, during an inspection of the district’s records and school buildings, found the district negligent when it came to posting warning signs about asbestos on the premises; providing custodial and maintenance workers with guidelines for working around asbestos; reporting to the Parent Teacher Assn. or parents about the findings of inspections; keeping records of such inspections, and testing for friable asbestos.

On Dec. 2, the school district was cited by the EPA on three counts--one for failure to inspect, sample and analyze for asbestos, including failure to warn and notify parents and workers once it was found, and two for failure to compile and retain records, Wilson said. The fines for the violations initially totaled $8,600, but were reduced in negotiations between EPA and the school district.

After the complaint was filed, EPA officials explained to the school district what was needed to comply with the agency’s standards, Wilson said.

“Our regulations don’t require cleanup,” Wilson said, because the EPA relies on pressure from parents and parent groups to force violators into cleaning up.

He added that a cleanup is done by removing the asbestos or by encapsulating or isolating it. Both methods were used by the school district.

The cleanup was paid for out of the district’s general fund, according to the district’s business office.