ASBESTOS IN THE NEWS
Stratford petitions to have contaminated soil moved out of state for $60M

Stratford residents say money is not the issue when it comes to asbestos removal.

January 27, 2009 -- In Stratford, Conn., the now defunct auto brake pads and clutch manufacturing firm of Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. and its successor, Raymark Industries, are best known for the asbestos-contaminated soil the companies left behind when they closed their doors in 1989.

During the peak of their asbestos-manufacturing business, Raybestos-Manhattan and Raymark Industries donated thousands of cubic yards of soil to the town of Stratford for use as fill for the construction of several town parks, a soccer field, and a world-class softball field.

All of the soil was heavily contaminated with asbestos.

The EPA recently proposed excavating the soil from all of these sites and depositing more than 5,000 truckloads of contaminated soil atop the old softball field site where it would be buried beneath a layer of non-contaminated materials at a cost of $21 million, to be funded out of money the EPA collected from lawsuits against Raymark.

Stratford residents revolt

Thousands of area residents are against the EPA's plan. “Just because it’s contaminated doesn't mean we have to put more contamination on top of it and expose people passing through to airborne asbestos," said a Stratford resident whose home is directly adjacent to the former ball field site. "Would the town of Westport stand for that?”

Town fathers have collected 4,000 signatures on a petition designed to block the EPA’s proposal. Stratford residents, who say money is not the issue, would prefer to see the asbestos-contaminated fill transported to an asbestos decontamination plant in Buffalo, N.Y., for an estimated cost of $60 million.

The truth about asbestos

Despite the potentially fatal health consequences associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States for its insulation properties. The United States imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form below. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, future and past lost wages, and damages. There is no cost to you until we negotiate a settlement or win a verdict.