The former site of a motel in Warrensburg, New York, located next door to a local eatery known as Potter’s Diner, may be contaminated with dangerous asbestos fibers according to city officials. The property was tested after it was demolished as part of the State Labor Department’s attempts to ensure that asbestos regulations during renovation and demolition projects were being observed. Officials found that no test was conducted prior to the project, and that the contractor hired to perform the demolition lacked the proper license to handle asbestos contaminated materials. Richard Galusha, one of the owners of the property, was issued several citations for failing to adhere to state asbestos handling requirements.
Richard, who was not aware of the requirements and was bewildered by the citations, asked “How would anyone know that they’re supposed to have an asbestos survey done?”
Galusha is not alone when it comes to ignorance of state and federal asbestos regulations. While strict laws concerning the demolition and renovation of old buildings are certainly in place that deal specifically with asbestos testing and disposing procedures, not all contractors are aware of them. Often, building owners, home owners, or others who would contract the services of a demolition or renovation company are completely unaware of the dangers of asbestos or the regulations surrounding proper testing and safe handling.
The existence of these laws combined with spotty, almost random enforcement and a lack of public awareness about asbestos issues is a recipe for unexpected fines and citations. More than just the unhappily surprised home owner or building owner, however, the hundreds of projects which go untested and unnoticed present a growing concern and a serious health hazard.
With the diagnoses of mesothelioma, an aggressive and terminal cancer caused by asbestos, still on the rise in much of North America, it’s clear that asbestos contamination is far from a problem of the past. Stricter laws and special licensing requirements may seem like obvious solutions to asbestos problems, but without the bark of awareness and consistent enforcement, the bite of randomly enforced, surprising fines can hardly be expected to decrease the dangers of asbestos exposure.
The unfortunate truth is that state level agencies like the Labor Department and federal organizations like the EPA lack the resources necessary to keep new demolitions and renovations in check. Until asbestos related laws are common knowledge and their enforcement is all but guaranteed, random spot checks are unlikely to produce anything more than a few thousand dollars in fines after the damage has already been done.
“We were trying to fix the town,” Galusha said of the demolition project to a local news agency, “they inspect the site and they give you a permit. Nobody said anything about asbestos.”
