March 29th, 2008

Two men were charged this week by a grand jury in New York relating to a case involving asbestos. The two men were accused of violating laws related to removing asbestos, as well as lying to officials about the removal.

Two New York men were charged this week by a grand jury in a case of the improper removal of asbestos from a hospital. The two men, the owner of the hospital and a contractor hired to remove piping from the hospital ceiling, were found guilty of violating environmental laws and lying to inspectors about the improper asbestos removal. The case started when the west wing of a New York hospital was getting prepared for demolition. The hospital owner requested the contractor remove expensive copper piping from the ceiling before the building was torn down.

The piping was surrounded by fire insulation containing high levels of asbestos, making the work dangerous. Asbestos normally has to be handled by licensed professionals trained to work with the deadly material and the removal follows strict procedures. The two men were also found guilty of lying to an OSHA inspector about the removal. OSHA was involved since asbestos exposure can lead to deadly diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis.