Two Wisconsin Companies Settle Asbestos Violations Related to Milwaukee Area Demolition Site

The Wisconsin Department of Justice announced they had settled with two contracting companies who had been charged with allegedly violating state regulations regarding the removal and disposal of asbestos at a demolition site in the Milwaukee area.

Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious and life-threatening diseases including mesothelioma cancer, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis.

In November 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that they had settled with two contracting companies that had been charged with allegedly violating asbestos removal and disposal regulations during a demolition project.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) had hired the two companies to oversee the demolition of the former Aldrich Chemical Building in Milwaukee. The project, which took place between October 2005 and April 2006, was performed as part of WisDOT’s Marquette Interchange reconstruction project. WisDOT had hired RMT, Inc to perform the inspection of the building and oversee the demolition, and RMT subsequently hired Homrich, Inc. to carry out the actual demolition.

As part of the project oversight, inspectors from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) visited the site several times during the demolition site, where alleged asbestos abatement and remediation violations were found, including an onsite DNR inspector allegedly witnessing workers using equipment to crush asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and other debris.

RMT Inc. and Homrich have agreed to pay a combined $60,000 in penalties to settle the case.

Workers at Aldrich Demolition Site Likely Exposed to Asbestos
The alleged asbestos abatement and remediation violations at this demolition site placed the employees of the contracting companies, as well as any other individuals living or working in the area, at risk for exposure to asbestos. Those who breathe in asbestos dust are at lifelong risk to develop any number of serious asbestos diseases, as the time between exposure to asbestos and when symptoms of asbestos disease are first diagnosed (known as the “latency period”) is 30-40 or more years long. Because of this long latency period, those who may have been exposed to asbestos in the 1960s or 1970s may only now be experiencing symptoms of an asbestos-related illness.

This latency period is caused in part by the microscopic structure of asbestos dusts. When inhaled, the sharp, jagged edges on asbestos fibers attach to lung tissue and are not easily expelled from the lungs by coughing, sneezing or blowing one’s nose.

Many decades later, the asbestos fibers can eventually cause healthy lung tissue to scar, or trigger the lungs to begin to product abnormal cells that can cause lung cancer tumors to grow.

How Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos disease, we may be able to help you to seek justice for your illness and file a lawsuit on your behalf.

Please complete the form on this page for a free and confidential review of your potential asbestos lawsuit or request a free copy of our asbestos sourcebook. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.