Chicago Mesothelioma Attorneys Alert: Developer Accused of Dumping Asbestos
Recently, it was brought to public knowledge that a real estate developer in Illinois was charged with dumping 127 plastic bags of asbestos in a small, impoverished town. Asbestos has long been linked to deadly diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of the protective lining covering many of the body's organs.
Michael Pinski, a Kankakee County businessman was indicted,and details of the indictment reveal violations that, if proven, would be offensive and dangerous.
Bags unlabeled, dumped so carelessly that the asbestos has already filtered into the environ's soil, without warning signs anywhere on or near the site in Hopkins Park, Illinois.
Regulations for asbestors, including those in Illinois, are intended to strictly regulate the disposal of asbestos, a material that was heavily used in past decades because of its heat- and fire-resistant properties.
The local residents, are however troubled by the allegations, because asbestos is most hazardous airborne. Asbestos fibers can be easily inhaled and lodge in the lungs. While mesothelioma lawyers have had great success obtaining large verdicts and settlements in asbestos lawsuits, medical science has fared less well—the prognosis for victims is usually grim.
As a result of the dire consequences of asbestos exposure, such as deadly diseases like mesothelioma that can develop decades later, anyone who removes asbestos must do so by following strict guidelines. Those include the use of proper safety garments and gear, proper warnings, and disposal methods that eliminate the risk of airborne asbestos fibers.
When these regulations have not been followed—and residents and workers have been exposed to potentially grave health risks violators have been fined, and in some cases, sentenced to jail time. They have also been taken to court by mesothelioma attorneys working to obtain compensation for victims of asbestos exposure, whose lives and families are often tragically and unfortunately affected.
As many mesothelioma lawsuits have shown, regulations are often not followed and appropriate precautions not taken out of disregard or simply to save costs. The proper inspection and disposal of asbestos is quite expensive, and over the years, many developers and landlords have avoided costs at the expense of lives.
According to the report, the developer hired a fire protection company inexperienced in asbestos disposal to eradicate the toxic material from a building he owns. That company, the indictment contends, would have cost "substantially less than a trained asbestos abatement contractor."
A list of the violations were:
1.Failure to notify the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) prior to the removal
2.Failure to have present during the removal any on-site representatives who were trained to comply with the EPA's regulations for asbestos removal
3.Failure to ensure the asbestos insulation was adequately wetted while it was being stripped and removed
4.Failure to mark vehicles used to transport the asbestos containing waste material during the loading and unloading of the waste with signs that included the words "DANGER," "ASBESTOS DUST HAZARD," "CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARD," and "Authorized Personnel Only"
5.Failure to deposit the asbestos in a waste-disposal site for asbestos."
The three men were charged with five violations of the Clean Air Act. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
0 komentar:
Post a Comment