Environmental Group Files Complaint: Alleges Grand Teton National Park Officials with Asbestos Abetment Cover-Up

Jackson Hole, WY environmental group files criminal complaint against Grand Teton National Park alleging illegal asbestos removal put area residents and guests at risk for illness. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma cancer, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis.

On August 26, 2009, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that an area environmental advocacy group was to file a complaint against Grand Teton National Park. The complaint alleges that in 2001, park officials improperly removed asbestos from Colter Bay Village, a tourist resort in the Jackson Hole, WY area.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEEP)’s complaint names both the current and former Grant Teton superintendents, as well as the facility manager and environmental engineer with violations of federal regulations regarding the storage, removal and transport of asbestos-containing materials (ACM).

PEEP alleges that in May 2001, park officials violated both the Clean Air Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Safety Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) when asbestos-containing water pipes were removed and replaced. The pipes were first left along a road leading to a local dump site, and were eventually loaded onto trucks and transported to a landfill in Idaho. The group also alleges that by transporting the contaminated pipes in open trucks across state lines, the park further violated laws pertaining to the transport of ACM.

Those Put at Risk for Asbestos Exposure
PEEP alleges the park workers who removed and transported the pipes had not been trained to perform asbestos abatement work, nor had they been provided with gloves, masks or other safety equipment to prevent exposure to the dangerous carcinogen.

The group also alleges asbestos contamination resulted from the pipes being first left on the roadside, and that tainted groundcover may have been distributed to other areas of the park, including fire grates used at park camp sites.

Because asbestos diseases have a long latency period (the time between exposure and when symptoms of illness first appear), the workers who removed and transported the contaminated pipes may not show signs of an asbestos-related illness for 30 or more years. In addition, since studies have shown that even individuals who have had extremely limited exposure to the dangerous mineral are still at risk, causing other park employees and visitors to be at risk.

Get a Free Case Review from Weitz & Luxenberg
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, contact our lawyers today for a free review of your case. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.