A former employee of the Massena Central School District in New York was recently sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to two counts of asbestos-related charges.

Benny Gladding plead guilty to providing false information to a federal agent, and to preparing false reports about asbestos in school buildings.

Thousands of schools were built using asbestos-containing construction materials due to the extremely durable and fire-resistant nature of asbestos fibers. However, those same properties also contribute to it being health hazard. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can become lodged in the mesothelial linings of the lungs, heart, and abdomen, and the body cannot degrade or expel these fibers.

Exposure to asbestos can cause a chronic lung disease called asbestosis, as well as mesothelioma. Due to an extensive latency period, these diseases often develop decades after exposure occurs, which can greatly complicate mesothelioma treatment.

For that reason, exposure to asbestos is an extreme health hazard, and many schools that contain asbestos materials spend thousands of dollars on containment and removal in an effort to keep students and staff safe.

The federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, created in 1986, provides guidelines that require schools to create and maintain asbestos management plans. In addition, schools must be inspected every three years, and asbestos management plans must be available for public review by staff and parents.

Management plans are intended to provide a written record of the steps a school takes to handle asbestos. The plans also help prevent accidental asbestos exposure that might occur when the location of asbestos-containing materials is unknown.

Gladding was sentenced as a result of several events that occurred during and before 2007. On one occasion, he revealed to federal agents that he had never removed asbestos-containing materials from any of the schools in the Massena Central School District. Gladding also admitted that a past report he prepared about the condition of asbestos at Jefferson Elementary School was inaccurate.

Gladding has been sentenced to two years probation for each of the counts, and the probationary sentences are to be served concurrently. In addition, Gladding must complete 100 hours of community service. As part of his plea, Gladding has agreed to resign from his position as buildings and grounds superintendent for the Massena Central School District.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 10:55 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.