After four years of deliberation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the city of Marco Island, Florida, and a Marco Island contractor have come to an agreement concerning a Clean Air Act infringement involving asbestos. Quality Enterprises, a contractor hired to improve Marco Island’s sewer systems among other things, came under investigation by the EPA after an anonymous tip alleged that they were improperly handling old asbestos laden piping.
Asbestos has been linked with a variety of illnesses and ailments from respiratory complications to aggressive, terminal cancers such as mesothelioma. The effects of asbestos were downplayed dramatically for nearly a century, a feat accomplished by a rich, successful chemical and sealant industry backed by manufacturing needs and defense contracts. Asbestos, well known for its abundance and its insulating and fireproofing properties, was used in a wide variety of industries throughout much of the twentieth century.
The EPA’s decision in the 1980′s to completely ban the substance in the United States was overturned by the asbestos industry’s most powerful companies in a matter of years. The following decades saw the development of state and federal restrictions intended to safeguard industrial employees and the general public from asbestos exposure, restrictions which continue to be developed and enforced to this day.
Contractors such as Quality Enterprises which work with asbestos contaminated materials are required to acquire special licenses and abide by safe handling regulations. The investigation which followed the anonymous EPA tip-off found that the Marco Island contractor failed to follow several regulations, potentially creating a hazardous workplace for its employees and placing Marco Island residents in danger.
The violations of the Clean Air Act included improper inspection of an asbestos containing area, failure to remove asbestos materials before aggravating waste debris, failure to provide a properly trained asbestos hazard staff member on-site, and failure to dispose of asbestos as quickly as practically possible. Additionally, Quality Enterprises failed to wet the asbestos materials before handling them, a violation of state safe handling regulations.
While the EPA has required neither the city of Marco Island or Quality Enterprises to admit guilt to the Clean Air Act infractions, Quality Enterprises has been fined $82,772.
The chairman of the Marco Island City Council, Frank Recker, was happy with the outcome, saying that he just wanted it to be clear that the city wasn’t responsible. “It was Dr. [interim City Manager Jim] Riviere’s and my mission,” he said, “to get the world to understand we didn’t think the city was financially responsible for anything.”
