Malibu High School (Creative Commons)

The concerned group has hired environmental consultants in order to find the source of skin diseases, thyroid cancers and other serious illnesses.

The teachers believe that recent construction and mold in several classrooms have been the cause of the aggressive rise in illnesses among the staff. Tests for mold and other possible contaminants have already began.

Within the last six months, three teachers have been diagnosed with stage one thyroid cancer while others have been treated for other thyroid problems. Other Malibu teachers have experienced migraines, unexplainable hair loss, skin rashes, bladder cancer, and several respiratory illnesses.

No students have been reported to have any affiliated illnesses. Nonetheless, many parents are unhappy that they were not told about the issue. "I think it's horrifying, and I think it's terrible that they wouldn't tell us," said one concerned parent.

According to construction plans published in 2010, tainted soil tested at a “total hazard index” of 2, which was significantly above the target index of 1. After the 1,017 cubic yards of tainted dirt was to be hauled out, the target hazard index was predicted to drop to .1.

The complaints from teachers started after the district hired a contractor back in 2010 to dig up the school's 50-year-old quad area. The district admits it was contaminated with cancer-causing PCBs, lead and other pesticides.

Malibu High School officials failed to respond to phone calls for an interview.

Read more at The Malibu Times.

Reach Executive Producer Syuzanna Petrosyan here. Follow her on Twitter.