A small demolition company working out of Surry, B.C. Canada has been charged with several counts of improperly disposing of hazardous materials. The company, Speedy Excavation, allegedly disposed of several truckloads of asbestos contaminated materials at a waste facility that wasn’t intended to able to handle hazardous waste.
Often, waste and recycling centers operate on the honor code, expecting construction, renovation or demolition companies to follow the guidelines concerning appropriate waste to be dumped for processing. The recycling center in New Westminster, Canada, was unaware of the nature of the waste, which not only meant putting the general public in harm’s way through inappropriate disposal methods, but also meant directly risking the health and welfare of their employees.
Illegal dumping of asbestos and other toxic materials is a serious problem due to the fact that it’s so lightly policed. Often, illegal dumping goes unnoticed and unpunished, especially when the toxic material in question is one that’s not easily detectable like asbestos. Asbestos fibers can not only contaminate the areas around landfills and waste processing depots if not properly handled, but could potentially affect water supplies or remain in open air, constantly aggravated trash piles where its fibers could become an airborne hazard.
Asbestos contamination has been linked to the development of several serious and even fatal diseases. Respiratory difficulties, scarring of the lungs, asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma – a terminal cancer of the tissues surrounding the body’s vital organs – are all caused by exposure to asbestos. Almost one hundred thousand people worldwide are believed to develop mesothelioma each year, and that number is likely to continue to rise until asbestos regulations are sufficiently tightened.
A B.C. conservation officer, Jack Trudgin, said that it was Speedy Excavation’s first offense. He believes that small companies may ignore regulations to gain a competitive edge when bidding for projects, a problem that could be aggravated by the recent economic downturn. The asbestos materials which Speedy Excavation disposed of at a New Westminster depot, for example, should have been shipped much farther to Alberta using more expensive hazardous material transportation services.
“It is a terrible situation,” says Gary Zappone, the owner of a hazardous materials transportation service, “and with the recession people are trying to cut corners and this is what has been happening. It is dangerous. Airborne fibers from asbestos are hazardous to people’s health.”
