Speedy Excavating, a small demolition company based out of Surry, B.C. Canada, is facing charges for incorrectly disposing of toxic asbestos containing materials. Government regulations require companies like Speedy Excavating to undergo a licensing process in order to qualify for work which involves toxic materials, a process which is intended to ensure they’re capability in terms of safe, legal demolition and disposal practices.
While the charges were officially brought against the company earlier this month, the accusation concerns illegal disposal of toxic waste that occurred nearly two years ago. In 2008 the company allegedly dumped several loads of asbestos containing drywall at a recycling center in New Westminster, Canada, a center that’s not outfitted to accept toxic materials.
Illegal dumping of asbestos materials exposes the general public to the dangers of asbestos dust. Waste centers which are not equipped for handling toxic materials don’t process the waste in a way that reduces airborne fibers and other forms of contamination. In addition to being unfit for mitigating the risks of asbestos contamination, regular waste and recycling centers don’t require their employees to wear protective masks and other gear, placing them directly in harms way if the waste center’s specific capabilities are not respected.
Asbestos fibers can cause a wide variety of health problems ranging from reduced respiratory function to the development of aggressive, terminal cancers. Nearly one hundred thousand people worldwide develop mesothelioma each year, a cancer of the tissues protecting the body’s vital organs. Environmental protection agencies around the world as well as the World Health Organization recognize asbestos as a toxic substance and campaign to reduce and eliminate its use in various industries.
Jack Trudgin, the B.C. conservation officer, explained that it was Speedy Excavating’s first offense of this kind. He believes that companies like Speedy Excavating may cut corners in an attempt to underbid other companies and stay afloat during time of financial hardship. Shipping asbestos contaminated materials to the proper facilities and having it processed safely is far more expensive than simply dumping it at the nearest waste center.
The New West recycling depot where the materials were dumped two years ago, as well as other waste centers like it, don’t implement any procedures to test the materials for toxic substances, and operate mostly on an honor system.
“It is a terrible situation. And with the recession people are trying to cut corners and this is what has been happening. It is dangerous. Airborne fibers from asbestos are hazardous to people’s health,” said the owner of a hazardous materials transport company, Gary Zappone.
