Source: https://cbs2iowa.com/, September 19, 2023 By: Kaelei Whitlatch New findings from the University of Iowa out of Vermont show that toxic chemicals may be found in older school buildings. A UI researcher says that if schools can find the source of the chemicals, a more cost-effective remediation can be found. The study found that most of the PCBs (polychlorinated […]

Source: Distinguished Programs Students in a university laboratory accidentally dropped a thermometer containing mercury. Unaware of the imminent danger, the students treated the spill casually, causing the mercury to be tracked throughout the school on the bottoms of their shoes. The mercury vapors contaminated the building and students complained of nausea and headaches. The school […]

Source: https://vermontbiz.com/, June 19, 2023 Attorney General Charity Clark has filed a lawsuit against Monsanto to protect and restore Vermont’s natural resources and schools affected by PCB contamination. The lawsuit, which seeks recovery for PCB contamination in schools on a statewide basis, is the first of its kind in the nation. The lawsuit alleges that, […]

Source: https://www.vermontpublic.org/, June 20, 2023 By: Howad Weiss-Tisman Vermont is the only state in the country that’s testing all of its older school buildings for PCBs, a class of industrial chemicals that were used in building materials, and which are known to cause cancer. The testing started last year, and it’s proven to be more complicated, […]

Source: https://www.northjersey.com/, July 27, 2022 By: Joe Malinconico The Rev. William Bishop, a retired clergyman, faces a $25,000 fine because of contamination on the property where he wanted to open a preschool, a site used as a gas station decades ago. That pending fine is entangled in a convoluted lawsuit Bishop filed against the New Jersey Department of Environmental […]

Source: https://blog.cvn.com/, May 10, 2022 By: David Siegel A Washington State court jury heard opening statements Monday in a lawsuit alleging that toxic chemicals manufactured by Bayer-owned agrochemical giant Monsanto caused a range of neurological injuries in a local school, and the proceedings are being webcast gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network. Monday’s opening statements kicked off […]

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/, April 25, 2022 By: Maanvi Singh As the closing bell rings at Jordan high school, a cacophony of adolescent chatter nearly overpowers the mechanical noises that emanate from the metal recycling plant next door. Students hardly register the lustrous dust – laced with lead, chromium and other contaminants – that settles into the […]

Source: https://www.darientimes.com/, February 6, 2022 The Monroe, Washington, School District offered a $34 million settlement to students and parents exposed to toxic chemicals on a public school campus. The Seattle Times reports the district proposed the settlement in November under court seal, preventing the public from seeing the offer, but the $34 million figure appears […]

Source: https://www.mtshastanews.com/, October 23, 2020 By: Skye Kinkade A severe infestation of black mold that’s the result of water damage from a snowstorm last year is prompting an emergency at Weed Elementary School. The building that houses the office, library, and two special day classrooms is being evacuated and sealed off, said principal/superintendent Jon Ray. […]

Source: https://www.insurancejournal.com/, October 20, 2020 Officials for a South Carolina school district say it could cost up to $3 million to fix damage and prevent the future spread of mold that was discovered in two buildings. Construction workers found the mold from high water activity inside the walls of a Beaufort County elementary school and […]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/, August 27, 2020 By: Max Horberry The new coronavirus is not the only illness that teachers, students, parents and staff will have to worry about as some schools attempt to reopen this fall. Legionella could lurk in the water supplies of school buildings, and some measures to keep people in schools safe from coronavirus […]

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”) has been a prodigious generator of litigation for decades. First, the government sought to compel potentially responsible parties (“PRPs”) to clean up contaminated sites. Then, those PRPs who were found liable or who settled with the government sought contribution from other PRPs. Now, even after these […]