Authorities Worry That Many U.S. Schools Could Have Dangerous Asbestos

"When the Ocean View school district in Orange County, Calif., began to modernize its facilities last year, school officials and taxpayers got an unwelcome surprise.

Workers found asbestos in 11 buildings, triggering a costly and disruptive effort to remove the carcinogen. Three elementary schools had to be shuttered for the year, displacing about 1,700 children. One school will reopen at the end of this month, but the other two remain closed as work continues. The school district had to take out a loan to help cover $15 million in costs.

“Everyone has asbestos, but they don’t want to deal with it,” said Gina Clayton-Tarvin, president of the Ocean View school board. “To abate it is absolutely astronomically expensive.”   "

Lyndsey Layton reports for the Washington Post August 5, 2015.