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November 1st, 2004
A father and son team, convicted in March of this year for directing an illegal asbestos clean-up, are thought to have put the lives of over one hundred of their workers at serious risk due to the asbestos levels that were released and breathed in by workers during the clean-up.
Alex Salvagno, and his father, Raul, from Loudonville, was convicted earlier this year. Federal attorneys made it clear that the pair deserved the maximum sentence possible for the violation due the risks and health hazards that resulted from their irresponsibility.
As a result, the two guilty parties have ended up in the middle of the largest environmental prosecution in history. Alex faces nearly eighty years in prison and a fine of several million dollars, and his father faces thirty-five years in prison and a fine of three quarters of a million.
The trial lasted over four months, and shockingly employees revealed that not only were they told to clean up as quickly as possible by ripping out asbestos and causing clouds of asbestos dust, but they were actually discouraged from wearing any for of protective clothing or equipment.
Many of the long-term workers – most of them Korean immigrants – are thought to be at high risk. Dr. Stephen Levin, an associate professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, stated: "Not to find significant asbestos-related injuries among them 15, 20 or 25 years down the road would be a great surprise."
