October 28th, 2004

An irresponsible landlord has been fined $5000 and given a four-month home detention sentence after allowing the release of asbestos during a renovation project at one of his properties. The landlord, Clifford Cheng, was up before US Magistrate Wayne Brazil in Oakland earlier this week. He pleaded guilty to negligent release of a hazardous air pollutant, which violates the environmental law’s Clean Air Act.

The incident took place in 2000, when Cheng was renovating properties on Main Street and Maple Court, Hayward. A contractor had been hired to carry out the renovations, and a Bay Area Air Quality Management District inspector found that large quantities of asbestos-rich debris had been piled into several rubbish bins.

It was also noted that the worker on the renovation had not been equipped with protective clothing, and a court document claimed that the external and some internal areas of the buildings were clouded with asbestos dust. It was also claimed on the document that the landlord, Cheng, was fully aware that the materials being disposed of contained asbestos.

Asbestos dust and fibers are the known cause of mesothelioma, a cancer that can affect several major parts of the body and can shorted the life span, following the onset of symptoms, to around 6-18 months on average. The symptoms of mesothelioma do not present themselves for up to several decades, so those exposed to this hazardous material may have to wait decades to find out whether they actually have contracted this cancer.