South Barre, Vermont Flooring Contractor Cited by EPA for Alleged Asbestos Violations

Failure to follow federal regulations for the removal of asbestos materials at Vermont job site by South Barre company put workers and others at risk to develop serious illnesses such as mesothelioma cancer, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis many years after their exposure.

In October 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced they had cited a Vermont flooring contractor for alleged violations of the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Asbestos (NESHAP) and the Clean Air Act.

As part of a July 2008 renovation project at a Montpelier, VT middle school, the company had been hired to remove vinyl floor tiles in the school building. That tile was later found to contain asbestos.

As a result of the EPA investigation into the matter, the company was cited for:

Failure to provide written notice to the EPA before beginning the work;

Failure to wet down asbestos-containing materials (ACM) while the ACM was being removed; and

Failure to properly handle and dispose of ACM.

The company faces possible penalties of up to $32,500 per day for the alleged NESHAP violations.

Affects of Recent Asbestos Exposure Cannot Be Diagnosed Until Many Years Later
The time between first exposure to asbestos and when symptoms of an asbestos-related disease appear (known as the latency period) can be 30 or more years long.

This latency period is caused by the microscopic structure of asbestos. When asbestos dusts are inhaled, they attach to lung tissue and are not expelled like other irritating substances that are expelled by coughing, sneezing or blowing ones nose. After several decades, the asbestos eventually can cause lung tissues to scar or cause abnormal changes in new lung cells that can lead to mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer.

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