Asbestos Abatement Laws Being Enforced

Cities and counties throughout the country are paying the price for failing to adhere to the tightening safety protocols that cover the handling and disposal of toxic asbestos in existing structures. Dothan, Alabama, became the latest city to pay for its negligence, agreeing to a $3,000 settlement with the state’s Department of Environmental Management, stemming from its failure to get a proper asbestos-abatement inspection. The city, which is in the middle of a downtown rebuilding project, demolished five structures recently, but only had one commercial building properly inspected. The other four were residential, but also required inspections because they were linked to the project. Typically, single family homes that have never been used for commercial purposes are exempt from requiring asbestos inspections, along with residential structures with four or fewer units. “It was a misunderstanding, but we are glad and willing to comply with ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management),” said Dothan mayor Saliba. States Becoming More Vigilant States are becoming more vigilant in responding to environmental concerns and the dangers of legacy asbestos as the country moves closer to legislation that would ban the toxic mineral completely. In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a potentially historic ban that would prohibit all current uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only known type of raw asbestos still being imported. ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos (general) Source Type: news