This week a group of Pennsylvania school employees filed suit against the Scranton school district. Both current and former employees claim school district officials withheld information of lead and asbestos tests from 2016.
Asbestos is carcinogenic mineral fibers found naturally in the earth, which were mined and widely used during the twentieth century. The results recorded dangerous levels of lead and asbestos present in 15 out of 19 district schools.
Asbestos becomes harmful when the material breaks apart, and the fibers or dust become airborne which causes breathing problems, lung disease, and cancer. Cases of mesothelioma cancer have been known not to develop for thirty or forty years, even after the initial exposure took place.
