Improper asbestos handling puts workers and public at risk of Mesothelioma

Asbestos is a recognized carcinogen that causes life-threatening respiratory disease including mesothelioma and asbestosis when inhaled or swallowed. Federal regulations govern the handling, transportation and disposal of asbestos-containing materials during demolition and asbestos removal projects. Individuals and companies that disregard asbestos handling regulations may endanger workers’ health, public health and face serious penalties.

A federal grand jury in Buffalo, New York last week issued a 16-count indictment charging former Buffalo Bills fullback Sean P. Doctor and Raj Chopra, both of Grand Island, N.Y. and the companies they own—S.D. Specialty Services, LLC, and Comprehensive Employee Management, Inc., —with conspiracy to commit fraud and violate the Clean Air Act.

Doctor and S.D. Specialty Contracting are additionally charged with substantial violations of the federal Clean Air Act related to their handling of three asbestos abatement projects in Buffalo, N.Y. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, Doctor and Chopra allegedly used a closed box container to improperly transport and store asbestos waste material between July 2009 and May 2011 without a manifest. The trailer was located at the business address listed for the companies, according the Justice Depoartment.

Doctor and his company, S.D. Specialty Services also are accused of violating federal law in 2009 and 2010 during an asbestos removal project at the Roosevelt Park Shelter owned by the City of Buffalo and at the Graystone Building in 2011.

In a separate alleged conspiracy, the defendants are charged with conspiring to defraud the New York State Insurance Fund by improperly classifying asbestos removal workers employed by S.D. Specialty Services as clerical workers to obtain a lower insurance premium. The indictment alleges the defendants defrauded the insurance fund out of approximately $195,000 in workers’ compensation insurance premiums.

Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are older workers, retired workers and veterans who were exposed to asbestos in a workplace. Demolition workers and construction workers are at elevated risk of asbestos exposure due to the large amounts of asbestos materials remaining in older buildings. Symptoms of asbestos-related disease such as pain beneath the ribs and shortness of breath typically take decades to appear. But the disease advances rapidly once symptoms appear.

There is no known cure for mesothelioma. But there are a number of treatments for mesothelioma to manage the disease if it is diagnosed before it has advanced.

For more information about mesothelioma treatments, click here.

Read more: http://www.aboutmesothelioma.net/2012/10/improper-asbestos-handling-puts-workers-and-public-at-risk-of-mesothelioma#ixzz28ryibyuY