Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Connecticut schools were recently issued a warning that clay used in art classes might be contaminated by asbestos. State officials sent a letter to school districts in June, 2007, warning that a type of clay used in art classes contains talc that might be contaminated with asbestos. An epidemiologist with the state Department of Public Health reported conflicting interpretations of whether the clay contains asbestos.

Exposure to asbestos can cause serious diseases, including mesothelioma and lung cancer.  Asbestos lawyers representing plaintiffs have alleged in several lawsuits that the talc found in some clays used in schools is contaminated with a form of asbestos. These allegations have been disputed by asbestos attorneys defending the distributors of the talc.