Cancer News, Treatment and Research

The city of Paterson, New Jersey put the health of several employees in danger when they allowed them to remove asbestos-containing tiles from municipal property on Ellison Street late last year, says the state department of labor. Now, after an investigation of the incident and a probe of other municipal facilities, the agency has determined that Paterson committed a total of 43 OSHA violations, 13 of them related to asbestos removal. The city now faces potential fines of $4500 per violation per day, an article in the The Record reports. It is unclear as to whether any of those fines have been imposed at this time. Paterson’s health department halted renovations on the 2nd floor of 133 Ellison Street last December when it was determined that there were issues concerning asbestos exposure . The area where the work was occurring has remained sealed off since that time. A private, licensed abatement company will be hired to complete the asbestos removal . The situation involved both municipal employees as well as inmates involved in the local Passaic County Sheriff’s Labor Assistance Program. The sheriff’s department is also conducting an investigation into the incident. In the meantime, those who may have been exposed to the asbestos tiles are concerned about whether or not they might develop an asbestos-related disease in the future. The material is a known carcinogen, responsible for diseases such as mesothelioma , which attacks the lining around the lungs. Paterson Mayor Jeffrey Jones believes the city must now implement a training program that will teach employees to identify lead and asbestos when working in old city-owned properties, where the materials are commonplace. “We don’t have the luxury to not know,” Jones said. “We don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way.”