U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 has recently filed a civil administrative complaint against the Detroit Public School District for alleged violations of Federal regulations on asbestos. A $1.408 million penalty has been proposed.
EPA began investigating the Detroit School District in December 1998 following a parent’s complaint. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act requires school districts to conduct asbestos inspections every three years to determine if the material has become damaged or deteriorated (friable) and whether it poses a health risk to students and faculty.
“Based on our inspection and the response we received from school officials, we feared widespread asbestos compliance problems throughout the Detroit School District,” said Phyllis Reed, chief of the regional Pesticides and Toxics Branch. A January 2000 response from the schools indicated that 256 of the district’s 263 school buildings did not meet Federal Requirements. “Our complaint is not about minor ‘paper-work’ violations, but goes to the heart of how the asbestos program is supposed to function to protect public health in schools,” said EPA Regional Administrator Francis X. Lyons. Lyons said EPA has talked with the public schools and city officials in Detroit and all are working to reach a timely resolution.
From the Daily Regulatory Reporter
