Asbestos Disposal Fines Issued at Navy Shipyard

Three companies that worked on a demolition project at the Newport Navy Base in Newport, R.I. will pay nearly $15,000 in fines for illegally handling and disposing of asbestos, the toxic building material linked to deadly mesothelioma cancer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency charged the United States Naval Station – Newport, Goel Services, Inc., and A. A. Asbestos Abatement Co., Inc. of violating the Clean Air Act and the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Asbestos in February 2009. Part of the demolition work involved removing, handling, and disposing of asbestos.

Asbestos was used for many years, primarily as insulation in construction materials for buildings and ships. When inhaled or otherwise ingested into the body, asbestos fibers can accumulate in the soft tissue surrounding the lungs, heart, stomach, and other organs, causing mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer. Asbestos use was largely phased out in the 1970s.

The improper removal, handling, and disposal of asbestos can result in people developing mesothelioma cancer. It can be many years, as long as 30 to 40 years in fact, after people are first exposed to the material for cancer symptoms to appear. In some cases, workers who are exposed to asbestos on the job bring the tiny fibers home on their clothing, tools, or bodies and expose their spouses, children, and others in the home to the risks of mesothelioma. Therefore, even people who are not directly exposed to asbestos as work can and have developed the cancer.

The three firms accused of violating the law at the Rhode Island base “failed to properly seal asbestos-containing waste materials in leak-tight containers while the materials were wet,” the EPA said. The risk of inhaling asbestos fibers is dramatically reduced when the fibers are wet.

The EPA had previously issued non-penalty administrative orders to both the Newport Navy Base and A.A. Asbestos Abatement for violations involving failure to provide proper written notice to EPA before work began, officials said.

As part of the settlement and fines announced today, the three parties must and certify that they are currently operating in compliance with federal asbestos safety requirements, the EPA said.

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