CHICAGO — A new report out says close to 200 Chicago Public Schools have some sort of asbestos risk to teachers and students.
The report is from an environmental group based in Washington D.C. and cites CPS’s own inspection records.
In a statement CPS says in the past five years, its “spent roughly 54 million dollars on environmental remediation work -(including asbestos) -throughout the district.”
The environmental nonprofit group EWG Action Fund complied the data and added an interactive map so parents can find their children’s school and what was found there.
EWG singled out three schools in need of extensive asbestos removal; Hefferan Elementary School on the West Side, Northwest Middle School in the Hanson Park neighborhood and Lincoln Park High School.
Since 2012, CPS says its spent more than 250,000 dollars in abatement work at those three schools and says it addresses environmental issues in accordance with federal and state law.
Asbestos has been linked to serious health problems and is likely in most school buildings built before 1980. Asbestos only becomes a health hazard when fibers are inhaled or ingested.
The district says another report on asbestos in the school which is done every three years is due out at the end of June.