Asbestos in schools -- a public health problem

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos in schools -- a public health problem, by C.M. Spooner (The New England Journal of Medicine, 1979).

The study

• Author: C.M. Spooner
• Journal: The New England Journal of Medicine
• Published: 1979;301(14):782-3
• Cited by: 8 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 004401).

In plain English

This 1979 article was a commentary in a Massachusetts Department of Public Health section of the journal, not original research. The author described how asbestos-containing material was sprayed onto building interiors from just after the Second World War until 1973, when the EPA banned the practice. The author wrote that such surfaces had begun to deteriorate and release fibers, and that vandalism, particularly to school ceilings, was the prime cause of elevated airborne fiber levels. The author called phase contrast microscopy totally inappropriate for identifying asbestos in bulk samples and described polarized light microscopy as the ideal technique. The article reported a survey of the state's 1418 schools built, renovated or enlarged from 1946 to 1973. All the public schools and the 11 institutional schools had been evaluated by the end of June 1979. About 13 per cent (about 182) of the schools contained asbestos. About 66 of those 182 had asbestos levels high enough to warrant corrective action. Costs in Massachusetts ranged from $1500 to $350,000 per school. The author described asbestos as a serious public health hazard and called the lack of federal funds a serious impediment to removal.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Commentary / public health report (not an original research study); it reports results of a Massachusetts state school survey
• Who was studied: Massachusetts schools surveyed by the state: the Commonwealth's 1418 schools built, renovated or enlarged from 1946 to 1973. All the public schools and the 11 institutional schools in the state were evaluated by the end of June 1979. The article does not say whether the 11 are counted within the 1418.
• Exposure: Asbestos-containing sprayed-on materials in building interiors, including schools, applied from after the Second World War to 1973; no specific fiber type is named in the article text
• Main results:
  • Massachusetts survey: about 13 per cent (about 182) of the schools contained asbestos. About a third of that group (about 66 of the 182) had levels high enough to warrant corrective action by removal, encapsulation or enclosure.
  • The survey covered all the public schools and the 11 institutional schools in Massachusetts by the end of June 1979.
  • The author stated that vandalism, particularly to school ceilings, was the prime cause of elevated fiber levels in the air.
  • The author stated that phase contrast microscopy is totally inappropriate for identifying fiber bundles in bulk samples, and described polarized light microscopy as the ideal technique.
  • Control costs in Massachusetts ranged from $1500 to $350,000 per school.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that the properties of asbestos constitute a serious public health hazard. The author called exposure of children particularly worrisome because of the latency period, and described the federal government's failure to provide funds as a serious impediment to removal.

Related studies

• Asbestos in New York City public school buildings--public policy: is there a scientific basis? — R. Wilson, A.M. Langer, et al. (1994)
• A radiographic survey of public school building maintenance and custodial employees — H.A. Anderson, L.P. Hanrahan, et al. (1992)
• Asbestos in Vermont schools: findings of a statewide on-site investigation — L.F. Novick, C. Rice, et al. (1981)
• Potential public health problems of asbestos in Jamaica — H.O. Reid, I.A. Kahwa (1995)
• Airborne concentrations of asbestos in 71 school buildings — M. Corn, K. Crump, et al. (1991)
• Asbestos abatement in schools: observations and experiences — R.N. Sawyer, E.J. Swoszowski (1979)

Browse more research in The New England Journal of Medicine, or return to medical research.