Emerson Middle School located in Yonkers, New York reopened today after asbestos concerns caused the school to close last Friday. The asbestos concerns stem from water damaged floor tiles that may have contained asbestos. Officials for the school district ordered the school closed in order to test for dangerous asbestos fibers in the air and to avoid students’ and staff from being exposed to the dangerous substance.

Asbestos exposure may lead to the development of any one of a number of asbestos-related diseases which include but are not limited to asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Due to the considerably long latency period associated with such diseases and the fact that there is no cure for such diseases there is very limited chances of finding even minimally effective treatment options by the time diagnosis occurs. In many cases an asbestos-caused disease will have already reached its advanced stages of development by the time it is diagnosed, and the newly-diagnosed mesothelioma patient will most likely pass away in less than two years.

According to school officials the leak caused water damage in a total of eight classrooms as well as the hallways in one area of the school. Repairs in the damaged areas of the school cost a total of $18,000 to fix over the weekend.

Officials have stated that there concern arose from the fact that asbestos was used as a flame retardant in many older buildings such as the Emerson Middle School and that disturbing such materials may release dangerous asbestos fibers into the air.

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