Arizona Tribune - New Analysis Ranks 50 States on Asbestos Safety in Public Schools - Washington Ranks Last, 12 States Earn Perfect Score

CHESTNUT HILL, MA / ACCESS Newswire / August 12, 2026 / Mesothelioma Hope, a national patient advocacy and public health resource focused on asbestos-related disease, has published a first-of-its-kind data analysis ranking 50 states on asbestos management and compliance in public schools. The research - built on facility-level records from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database - reveals dramatic differences in how states protect students and staff from the only known cause of mesothelioma.

Washington State ranked last among all states analyzed, with an average per-facility compliance score of 17.85 - driven by a small number of facilities with severe, long-running violations. West Virginia (14.54) and North Carolina (12.89) rounded out the bottom three. Twelve states - including Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, and Hawaii - recorded zero violations across all school facilities and earned a perfect Grade A.

Key Findings

• According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 38% of U.S. school buildings were built before 1970 - the peak era of asbestos use - and 22% have never undergone a major renovation, leaving original asbestos-containing materials in place for more than five decades.

• 14 states, plus Washington, D.C., received a D or F grade, indicating consistent or repeated failures in asbestos compliance.

• Formal enforcement actions are heavily concentrated in a small number of states, suggesting wide variation in enforcement capacity and state-level oversight.

• Significant Non-Compliance (SNC) designations - the EPA's most serious violation category - were weighted most heavily in the ranking as the clearest indicator of systemic failure to protect students and staff.

• 20% of school principals rate their school's indoor air quality as "poor" or "fair," according to NCES data - a figure that takes on added significance given the prevalence of asbestos-containing materials in older buildings.

• Elementary and middle school teachers accounted for 5.6% of all mesothelioma deaths among women between 1999 and 2020, according to the CDC.

Expert Commentary

"Asbestos management isn't a one-time task. Schools must maintain management plans, conduct regular inspections, and ensure asbestos-containing materials aren't disturbed during maintenance or renovations."
- Ricky LeBlanc, Managing Attorney of Sokolove Law

"If a parent or teacher is concerned about asbestos in their school building, they should ask school administrators whether the school has undergone an inspection for asbestos-related risks. If it hasn't undergone an inspection, one should be arranged."

- Dr. Susan Buchanan, MD, MPH, Clinical Associate Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health; Director, Great Lakes Center for Children's and Reproductive Environmental Health

About the Research

The analysis covers 5,217 school facilities across 50 states using the EPA's ECHO database (SIC code 8211). Each facility was assigned a composite score based on Significant Non-Compliance flags, quarters spent out of compliance, formal enforcement actions, and inspection history. States were ranked by the average score per facility to ensure a fair comparison between larger and smaller states. Oklahoma is excluded due to the absence of facility-level data in the federal ECHO database.

The full ranking and state map are available at: https://www.mesotheliomahope.com/blog/best-to-worst-states-for-asbestos-in-schools/

About Mesothelioma Hope

Mesothelioma Hope is a comprehensive patient support resource dedicated to helping individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma and their families access the information, specialists, and support they need. Through its team of Patient Advocates, the organization provides free guidance on treatment options, clinical trials, financial assistance, and legal resources. Mesothelioma Hope can be reached 24/7 by calling (866) 608-8933 or by visiting www.mesotheliomahope.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Chris Carberg
(855) 346-6101
[email protected]
1330 Boylston St, Suite #400, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

SOURCE: Mesothelioma Hope

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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