Defendant Ordered Untrained Homeless to Dispose Asbestos

The defendant, John Edward Callahan, did not provide the homeless men with adequate protective gear, and instructed them to cut the asbestos-containing material with knives and hack saws without first wetting it, which is required by federal law to safely remove asbestos.

By not wetting the materials first, the men created harmful asbestos dust which could be inhaled into their lungs.

As part of the investigation, the EPA's forensic laboratory in Denver, Colo., conducted sampling and analysis of the materials and confirmed the presence of asbestos.