Five Phoenix high schools have been charged with asbestos violations, as the Environmental Protection Agency moves to more strictly enforce regulations on public charter schools.

“Arizona has more than 500 charter schools and many hold classes in older buildings, which tend to have move asbestos,” said asbestos coordinator for the EPA’s Southwest Region, Ron Tsuchiya. “Of the charter schools that we’ve done spot checks on, none were in compliance.”

These five schools failed to inspect for asbestos, or failed to have sufficient asbestos management plans as is required by the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1987, according to the EPA.

Each school was fined $11,700, but was allowed to deduct the costs of making the necessary moves to comply with regulations, said EPA officials.

Most public school districts have been in compliance with federal asbestos regulations for a long time, and maintain competent management plans, but charter schools are often not as regulation-savvy, Tsuchiya said.

Which is why the EPA has focused its efforts on Arizona charter schools, and will likely expand them to charter schools in California and other states, Tsuchiya said.

“In our case, we lease our building and were told it was in full compliance,” said Mark Francis, executive director of the Arizona School for the Arts, one of the schools that were fined. “But once we learned we weren’t, we did what we needed to do to correct it and spent about $16,000 to fix the problem.”

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is fire resistant, and was widely used for fireproofing and insulation before its dangers were discovered. It has since been linked with many health problems, and is the only well-established cause of mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by exposure to asbestos, you may have the right to seek compensation for your losses. Please contact us for a FREE consultation with a caring and experienced lawyer who can answer your questions and help you get the compensation you deserve.