In recent years much attention has been geared towards the various health conditions that may arise as a result of working with or around asbestos. From lung cancer to mesothelioma, the facts are there – asbestos can cause significant health risks.
Asbestos is a group of minerals that occur naturally as fibers and are used in certain industries. The trick is, since society is more aware of the dangers of asbestos today – most industries avoid the use of these minerals in order to decrease the likelihood of health risks such as lung damage.
The United States EPA provides us with a great deal of information on asbestos, including the following:
From studies of people who were exposed to asbestos in factories and shipyards, we know that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers can lead to an increased risk of…….. (more…)
The property owner of the Ambler boiler house removed approximately 900 tons of asbestos-containing material from the site last week.
The material was removed last weekend from June 19 to 21, according to Lynda Rebarchak, community relations coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Southeast Region.
“The material left the site in about 37 trailers, and it was covered with a tarp prior to leaving the site,” she said. “It was shipped to a facility in Ohio that is permitted to accept that type of waste.”
The removal was mandated by the DEP last year.
“We had been in contact with the property owner for that parcel, Ronald Hamilton,” Rebarchak said. “Back in December of 2009, we had issued an order to Mr. Hamilton requiring that he remove some material that had been stockpiled on site. … It was demolition material from work that was done back in May of 2009. There was some roofing material and some other material that had been located inside the property.
“The material was then combined in a pile next to the building,” she said. “We had performed testing of that pile and determined the entire pile was to be considered asbestos-containing waste material, and that was why we were requiring it be removed as quickly as possible.”
The demolition at the site last May was done without permission from the DEP, and Hamilton received a citation as a result. DEP officials investigated the site to find roofing materials were being removed when the owner had not submitted an Asbestos Abatement and Demolition/Renovation Notification Form as required by the DEP’s Air Pollution Rules and Regulations.
While the DEP ordered Hamilton to remove the asbestos-containing material back in December, he had appealed the order, and a court hearing had been scheduled for June 28, according to Rebarchak.
“In the meantime, the pile was being kept under cover,” she said.
Hamilton then went ahead with the removal with the court date less than two weeks away.
Hamilton did not inform the DEP about the removal, but since it was work ordered by the DEP, he was not required to do so, according to Rebarchak.
“We didn’t know that he had opted to comply with the order until we had received word from an area resident,” she said. “He was required to let us know prior to any demolition work. This was work we had required him to do.”
Rebarchak said the removal of the asbestos containing waste should have no health or environmental impact on the area.
“Water was being used to wet the material prior to loading the amount onto the trailers,” she said. “There should have been no impact to the community.”
The owners of the boiler house submitted a rehabilitation plan for the site earlier this year with the Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County. The plan, which includes the removal of asbestos containing material, aims to convert the boiler house into an office building.
Rebarchak said the DEP had been in touch with the Redevelopment Authority, which had no update on when the rehabilitation or other future work at the site would begin………. (more…)
The number of workers from the North East of England and Cumbria who die from asbestos related illnesses has reached the highest levels on record.
The Health and Safety Executive has revealed that 400 people die from the illnesses each year in the region.
It comes as the new Northern Asbestos Support and Campaign Group is launched for victims living in the North East.
The North’s industrial past means it has one of the highest rates of death from mesothelioma.
The support group, set up by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the first of its kind in the region, offers services including telephone helpline and drop-in centres.
Victims will also be offered home visits, advice on benefit entitlements and family members will be offered support at inquests….. (more…)
A man who allegedly posed as a certified asbestos inspector has been indicted for triggering an emergency asbestos incident.
The Colorado state grand jury said 45-year-old Michael Merit of Parker was hired by a demolition company to test for asbestos testing in mobile homes in Elizabeth.
The grand jury said Merit told the demolition company, the Resource Center, that he was a certified Colorado asbestos inspector in order to obtain a job with the company.
Merit worked for Resource Center between November 2007 and late January 2008. During his employment, he worked on testing of a mobile home park in Elizabeth, according to the indictment.
Instead of taking a bulk sample as he was supposed to do, Merit incorrectly took air samples and then falsified lab results stating no asbestos was present, the grand jury alleged.
According to the grand jury, the Resource Center demolished three mobile homes. But the Department of Public Health halted the demolition based on a tip from a citizen that the mobile homes contained asbestos.
The situation threatened “immediate and irreparable harm to the environment or the health and safety of individuals” not associated with the cleanup, the state said.
