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EPA Awards Grant to Connecticut Town for Clean Up of Former Mill Contaminated With Asbestos, Other Toxins

By on Sunday, May 12th, 2013 | No Comments

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a Connecticut town $200,000 grant to help defray costs associated with preparing a contaminated former mill for redevelopment this week. Residents of Plainfield are elated at the prospect of cleaning up the former InterRoyal Mill property as it poses serious health threats to the community and has detracted from the town’s revenue. Redevelopment of the former mill will be the centerpiece to Plainfield’s overall improvements, said Congressman Joe Courtney . According to Courtney, the project will be a catalyst for future development that will hopefully reinvigorate Plainfield’s economy. Courtney, who made the announcement on Thursday, was instrumental in securing the EPA grant. The property is dangerously contaminated with chemicals and other carcinogens. Previous studies have found that streams running through the property are contaminated with chromium and nickel, and the buildings also contain lead-based paint, asbestos and mercury. Further environmental assessments may uncover additional contaminates. However, those toxins found on the site all pose serious threats to health. Asbestos is a set of naturally-occurring minerals that was widely used in building, electrical and plumbing materials. Exposure to asbestos can lead to serious medical conditions including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma cancer . Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the pleura or the protective lining surrounding the heart, lungs or stomach. According to a Plainfield resident, Peter Brodeur, many people who live near the 16 acre property have become sickened by the environmental contamination. Though Brodeur has not been affected by the contaminates found on the property, he alleges that other members of the community have been. Cleaning up the property is the first step in the redevelopment process. Eventually, the site would be an ideal space for commercial developments.

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Owners of New Jersey Superfund Site Must Repay EPA for Asbestos Clean Up Efforts

By on Friday, May 3rd, 2013 | No Comments

A New Jersey company and the United States Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) reached a legal settlement on Wednesday over payment due for clean up efforts at a former brake pad manufacturing site. Friction Division Products Inc. must pay the EPA $1.6 million the government agency spent on abating left over asbestos , and removing deadly toxins such as acids, waste oil and solvents. Friction Division Products Inc. filed for bankruptcy and abandoned the manufacturing site, leaving the area riddled with asbestos and other toxic materials. After the site was abandoned, the EPA cleaned up the property, removing 800 drums and other containers, many containing substances of unknown origins, along with nearly 70 tons of asbestos. Asbestos was a commonly used material in brake pad manufacturing. All toxic material removed from the site was safely disposed of. Under the Superfund program , the onus is entirely on the owner of the property to repay the EPA for any toxin removal or clean up efforts. According to EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck, “The Superfund program operates on the principle that polluters, not taxpayers, should pay for the cleanups. The EPA works hard to recover taxpayer dollars spend on the cleanup of abandoned and polluted sites.” In a statement released by the EPA, Enck also said that 90% of the total clean up cost will be recovered by the EPA from the legal agreement reached between the two parties. Asbestos is a set of naturally-occurring minerals that was widely used in manufacturing settings. Durable and inexpensive, asbestos was a popular material used in manufacturing car parts, including brake pads , brake linings, clutches and transmission parts. Despite the widespread use of asbestos in the manufacturing of a variety of products, the substance was subsequently banned in most industrialized nations because exposure to asbestos caused cancer and other serious medical conditions, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos and is considered an industrial disease without any known cure. Asbestos exposure occurs when microscopic particles become airborne after the asbestos product is damaged or broken. These microscopic asbestos particles can become lodged in the delicate lining surrounding the lungs, heart or abdominal cavity, which can later develop into mesothelioma.

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Internal Investigators Say EPA Delayed Libby Asbestos Studies

By on Monday, April 22nd, 2013 | No Comments

A report issued last week by the U.S. Environmental Inspection Agency’s (EPA) Office of the Inspector General faulted the agency for delays in completing health studies that were essential for guiding the clean-up of the town of Libby, the site of one of the country’s worse environmental disasters, where hundreds have died or been sickened due to asbestos exposure. The town was first declared a public health emergency in 2009, more than a decade after the EPA first responded to reports that the asbestos-tainted vermiculite in the mines of W.R. Grace and Company was making people sick, both in the mines and in the community. Approximately $447 million has already been spent on clean-up but the town is still under the emergency declaration issued in 2009, reports an article in the Spokesman Review. In 2007, the EPA reported that a formal risk assessment would be completed in 2010. It’s still not finished and now isn’t expected to be done until 2014. “That should have been the first thing they did,” Libby, Montana Mayor Doug Roll said upon hearing the report. “When something is hurting people – and in this case killing them – you need to find out what’s toxic.” The report declared that the delays were caused by competing priorities within the agency, contracting problems, and unanticipated work that arose as the very complicated process unfolded. Others in the agency, however, believe the inspector general’s report is faulty. EPA Acting Regional Administrator Howard Cantor said the procedures were so complex that it took years to make sure they were done properly, adding that the EPA has already addressed the clean up of 1,700 homes and commercial properties, resulting in the removal of 1.2 million tons of contaminated soil. The investigators, however, also cited poor communication with the people of Libby, as well as with members of Congress, for the delay. Now, they say, it’s time to step up and get it done. Senator Max Baucus, one of the leading advocates for the asbestos exposure victims in Libby, agrees. In a statement responding to Thursday’s report, Baucus said that the EPA needs to avoid its past mistakes and get its studies done quickly. “We need to move forward with this toxicological assessment, so we are making the right decisions based on the right science,” Baucus explained. In the meantime, the number of cases of mesothelioma continues to grow and experts expect them to continue to rise as the disease takes its toll on those who were exposed.

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Judge Imposes $850,000 Civil Penalty for Asbestos Violations

By on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 | No Comments

A judge in Jefferson County, Ohio has imposed a large fine on the owner of a former steel facility and his affiliates for what he described as “massive asbestos violations.” According to an account in the Norwalk Reflector, the sanctions against Arthur David Sugar, Sr.; David Sugar Excavating, LLC; Honey Creek Contracting, Inc.; Excavation Technologies Inc.; and ADS Leasing are the result of shoddy practices that occurred during the demolition of the former Weirton Steel Mill in the town of Steubenville, Ohio . The court found that the defendants showed a blatant disregard for laws governing asbestos handling and removal. Specifically, in some cases they failed to remove the material before demolition or did so in an improper manner, and also failed to notify the Ohio EPA of their intention to remove asbestos from the facility. “Asbestos is widely known to be a dangerous, cancer-causing material which must be abated in any demolition,” Attorney General DeWine said when the verdict was announced. “The aggressive penalty issued against the defendants in this case shows that endangering Ohioans by failing to properly manage asbestos will not be tolerated.” In 2011, Sugar and Honey Creek pleaded guilty in a United States District Court to one count of conspiracy and four counts of violating the Clean Air Act rules related to the proper removal and handling of asbestos. As a result, a trial ensued in 2012 at which time the defendants’ liability was debated, resulting in the recent penalty. “As attorney general, I take my role in protecting the health and safety of Ohio families very seriously,” DeWine said. “I will continue to work with Ohio EPA to make sure Ohio’s laws regarding asbestos are enforced across the state.” An abundance of asbestos was used in steel mills across the country throughout much of the 20th century, so it isn’t unusual to encounter the material when doing demolition or renovation at an old mill. Asbestos may have been used in building products like floor or ceiling tiles or could have been employed as insulation for boilers, generators, pipes, and electric wiring . Individuals who worked in steel mills were constantly being exposed to the carcinogenic material. Hence, those workers are still candidates for developing diseases such as mesothelioma or other cancers.

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Judge Imposes $850,000 Civil Penalty for Asbestos Violations

By on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 | No Comments

A judge in Jefferson County, Ohio has imposed a large fine on the owner of a former steel facility and his affiliates for what he described as “massive asbestos violations.” According to an account in the Norwalk Reflector, the sanctions against Arthur David Sugar, Sr.; David Sugar Excavating, LLC; Honey Creek Contracting, Inc.; Excavation Technologies Inc.; and ADS Leasing are the result of shoddy practices that occurred during the demolition of the former Weirton Steel Mill in the town of Steubenville, Ohio . The court found that the defendants showed a blatant disregard for laws governing asbestos handling and removal. Specifically, in some cases they failed to remove the material before demolition or did so in an improper manner, and also failed to notify the Ohio EPA of their intention to remove asbestos from the facility. “Asbestos is widely known to be a dangerous, cancer-causing material which must be abated in any demolition,” Attorney General DeWine said when the verdict was announced. “The aggressive penalty issued against the defendants in this case shows that endangering Ohioans by failing to properly manage asbestos will not be tolerated.” In 2011, Sugar and Honey Creek pleaded guilty in a United States District Court to one count of conspiracy and four counts of violating the Clean Air Act rules related to the proper removal and handling of asbestos. As a result, a trial ensued in 2012 at which time the defendants’ liability was debated, resulting in the recent penalty. “As attorney general, I take my role in protecting the health and safety of Ohio families very seriously,” DeWine said. “I will continue to work with Ohio EPA to make sure Ohio’s laws regarding asbestos are enforced across the state.” An abundance of asbestos was used in steel mills across the country throughout much of the 20th century, so it isn’t unusual to encounter the material when doing demolition or renovation at an old mill. Asbestos may have been used in building products like floor or ceiling tiles or could have been employed as insulation for boilers, generators, pipes, and electric wiring . Individuals who worked in steel mills were constantly being exposed to the carcinogenic material. Hence, those workers are still candidates for developing diseases such as mesothelioma or other cancers.

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Asbestos Levels Too High at Chicago Demolition Site

By on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 | No Comments

The contractors responsible for the demolition of a 9-story building on Chicago’s North Side failed to do their job correctly, resulting in the release of high levels of asbestos and a subsequent request for a work stoppage, reports a story aired on WTHI-TV 10. According to the story, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is seeking a court order to stop the demolition of the building, constructed in 1923 and once home to a mental hospital and then a hotel. The agency has asked Chicago Attorney General Lisa Madigan to seek an injunction to prevent the contractors, Zidan Management Group and Dubai Construction, from tearing down the building, which contains a large amount of asbestos materials. The EPA claims that its inspectors discovered that the two companies were not following proper asbestos removal procedures during the initial phases of demolition. In most cases, proper procedure involves safely removing asbestos materials before demolition begins or wetting these same materials before demolition so that fibers aren’t able to be released when the building comes down. The EPA also notes that they had no notification of the demolition and that the companies did not properly inspect for asbestos before work began. Hence, the companies’ negligence led to the detection of unsafe levels of asbestos in the air around the building, which was constructed during a time when asbestos use was quite commonplace. The IEPA now wants a licensed, outside contractor to develop a plan to address the contamination. Airborne asbestos fibers can be quite dangerous. Anyone working in the vicinity of such fibers without wearing proper protective gear, including masks, can inhale the fibers. These tiny, sharp particles can become imbedded in the lung area and cause the formation of cancerous tumors and an eventual diagnosis of mesothelioma .

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Apartment Dwellers Fear Fall-Out from Removal of Asbestos Materials

By on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 | No Comments

A group of tenants who rent units at an affordable housing complex in Yarmouth, Massachusetts were surprised and upset when they received letters last month stating that the vinyl flooring in their kitchens and bathrooms would be replaced shortly and that they could expect “debris”. That’s because many of the tenants feared what was underneath the flooring – asbestos. According to an article in The Register, tenant Beth Harris, who lives in the Swan Pond Village Apartments, was aware that there was asbestos underneath the vinyl tiles and questioned the need to replace the floors, which Harris says are in perfectly good condition. Other tenants who received the same letter, Harris says, were totally unaware of the presence of asbestos. Those others, she notes, include disabled persons and small children. Harris doesn’t understand why it’s necessary to disturb the asbestos, which does not present a health hazard when intact. She also questioned whether she would be safe remaining in her apartment during the renovations. Harris notes that a letter from the management company, Weston Associates of Boston, indicates that her kitchen and bath would be blocked off with plastic from the rest of the tiny one-bedroom apartment during the abatement. The tenants will have the option of removing their food and other items from the apartment before work commences. The management company told the tenants they could sit in the complex’s community day room while work was being completed but did not offer to house them elsewhere. Harris has voiced her concerns with individuals at the management company as well as MassHousing, the EPA, and local health officials. She worries not only about her health but that of her grandchildren as well, who visit her often. She knows asbestos exposure can result in an eventual diagnosis of mesothelioma or other similar diseases. “I don’t trust them to do it right,” Harris said. “My main concern is the deceitfulness.” As such, Harris decided to leave her apartment while the work was being done and expressed her hopes that others make the same decision, though they were permitted to stay. Yarmouth Health Director Bruce Murphy assured Harris and others that air quality testing would be done. Nonetheless, the tenant, who suffers from neuropathy, moved everything out of her kitchen and bathroom before heading to a hotel, including food and her grandchildren’s toys, and put them in her bedroom. She says she left a note asking that the contractor seal off her bedroom door and notes that an EPA official recommended she bag everything that was of concern. “I hope they do the proper abatement,” she said.

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Six School Districts in Arizona Fined for Asbestos Violations

By on Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 | No Comments

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that six Arizona school districts have been fined nearly $100,000 for asbestos issues that violate the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). According to a story aired on CBS5-Arizona, in excess of 15,000 children attend the 25 Arizona schools that have been deemed not compliant with AHERA. When the schools were inspected at the end of 2011, inspectors reported that they found numerous violations including “failing to inspect facilities for asbestos-containing materials, failing to re-inspect campuses with known asbestos-containing materials, and failing to have an Asbestos Management Plan.” The EPA reports that all the districts have been notified and plan to make the adjustments or other steps necessary to be in compliance. With cooperation, many of the fines may be reduced to zero or to just a small portion of the current assessed penalties. “ Asbestos in schools has the potential to harm the health of students, teachers, and maintenance workers,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. Asbestos is a known carcinogen, able to cause diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer . Laws put in place by the EPA require that school districts in the United States conduct an initial inspection, done by a licensed asbestos contractor, to determine if and where asbestos-containing materials are located within their buildings. If any materials are found, a management plan must then be put in place to ensure the safety of those inside. Parents and others should be given free access to these reports and plans. Surveillance and re-inspection of the materials should be done at mandated intervals. The six districts cited include: St. John’s Unified School District in Apache County, Florence Unified School District in Pinal County, Vernon Elementary School District in Apache County, McNary Elementary School District on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, and Round Valley Unified School District, also in Apache County.

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Scientists Agree with Libby Asbestos Study

By on Monday, February 11th, 2013 | No Comments

After a panel of scientists acknowledged that an EPA risk study on Libby, Montana is accurate in regards to the risks associated with even a small amount of asbestos exposure, the agency announced that it hopes to complete the remainder of the study by the end of 2014, reports an article in The Missoulian. This particular study will help guide the clean-up of the asbestos-contaminated town of Libby and its surrounding areas, where hundreds have already died of asbestos-related diseases caused by exposure to vermiculite from the mines of W.R. Grace and Company, best known for manufacturing Zonolite insulation. Specifically, the document will help determine when clean-up work will be able to end at what many have described as the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States. Environmental Protection Agency toxicologist Deborah McKean says the EPA will need to handle some tasks given to them by their Science Advisory Board before completing the study. She hopes it won’t be much longer. The EPA has been working on the asbestos problem in Libby since 1999. So far, about $447 million has been spent. This year, some 80 to 100 properties around town are scheduled to be cleaned but several hundred remain. The article notes that the mine site, just outside of town, has barely been touched yet. In the meantime, W.R. Grace officials have called the EPA’s proposed new standards unreasonable and impossible to obtain. Though the agency has not yet responded to Grace’s questions on the issue, McKean says she expects relatively little – if any – change from the standard which states that even “exceedingly low” concentrations of asbestos fibers – 0.00002 fibers of the mineral per cubic centimeter – raise the risk of lung-scarring. But while W.R. Grace and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency dicker over clean-up specifics, the people of Libby, Montana merely want to see the nightmare end. Chances are it won’t anytime soon. The exposure to tainted vermiculite in Libby continued for decades before attention was called to the plight of the exposed individuals, many of whom have already died of mesothelioma cancer and complications due to asbestosis and other similar diseases. In 2009, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson issued a first-of-its kind public health emergency declaration in Libby. Experts say that’ll be a while until the declaration is absolved, considering mesothelioma has a long latency period and it’s likely that more diagnoses will be made throughout the next few decades.

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Report Says Asbestos-Laden Forest Could Be Saved

By on Monday, November 19th, 2012 | No Comments

A new study concerning the asbestos-laden forest in and around the town of Libby, Montana declares that the area could potentially be saved, and the 45-page report notes that there is a host of methods available to literally reclaim this 35,000-acre forest for other uses. According to an article in the Missoulian, two remediation companies – The Beck Group of Portland, Oregon and Missoula-based Envirocon – contracted with the Lincoln County Port Authority to draft a feasibility study about the forest, which has more or less acted as a sponge around the town of Libby , soaking up dozens of years of asbestos fibers released by the former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine. The report, entitled “Asbestos Remediation Plan for Forested Areas near Libby, Montana,” notes that the concentration of asbestos in the area that has become known as Operational Unit 3 is one of the highest in the area. Experts also suspect that the contamination will go far beyond these 35,000 acres, but the EPA hasn’t addressed anything further out from the city at this time. “The high-level report provides a sense of the challenges that lie ahead should the timber-harvesting operation go into effect, said Craig Rawlings, president and CEO of the Forest Business Network. “It’s a pretty big deal. We’re talking about 35,000 acres, and the EPA is probably going to expand that area significantly,” he added. “There are so many unknowns about the level of contamination in the forests of Libby, we don’t know what levels are out there or what activities would be below a level of concern,” reported Christina Progress, who is the EPA’s top brass at the Libby Superfund site. The report suggests, however, that the “meat” of the trees is most likely not decontaminated. Hence, if they can be harvested and debarked safely, they can most likely be put to good use and sold for timber. Specifically, the study states that the 600 harvestable trees per acre could yield some 425 million board feet. However, at this point no one knows whether the debarking, combined with water treatment, will be successful in ridding the trees of the asbestos dust, much of which has been sitting in the forest for decades. Of course, even if the process works, this won’t be an easy or quick task. The study estimates that the debarking of the initial operational area will take at least 10 years. Nonetheless, study author Tony Ward thinks this could be a bright spot on the horizon – a boon for Libby, so marred by the legacy of the asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mine and the large number of its citizens who have died of mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases because of that mine. “The idea of finding a revenue source for the area, and knowing that timber used to be so profitable there, it would be great to find a way of safely harvesting trees,” he said.

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