Ronald Mancuso, a New York man, is facing time in prison for improperly disposing of asbestos waste. He is the fourth in his family to face the consequences of improper asbestos handling; his case follows the prosecution and incarceration of his father and two younger brothers on similar charges. Ronald Mancuso helped prosecutors to bring their case against his father and brothers. Because of his assistance, and his plea of guilty to improper handling and disposal of asbestos, he should receive some leniency when sentenced.
Asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to a variety of deadly diseases including mesothelioma, an aggressive and terminal cancer of the soft tissue lining which protects the body’s organs. The mineral was used heavily throughout the twentieth century in a wide array of applications from building construction through home insulation and industrial manufacturing. Asbestos was originally prized for its insulating, sealing and fire retarding qualities, attributes which make it ideal for a huge variety of uses. It was later discovered, however, that asbestos causes diseases which are gruesome and often fatal.
In the late 1980′s the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attempted to ban the substance and passed a bill known as the Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule. The bill was later overturned by influential asbestos companies seeking to protect their market. In its place, a collection of state and federal regulations were passed which severely restricted asbestos use in the public sector and enforced safe dumping and handling rules. These asbestos regulations, still in place to this day, aim to protect the workforce and the general public from the toxic effects of asbestos by mandating the use of special safety equipment and certain asbestos removal and disposal techniques.
The rise of strict, specific laws around asbestos handling and removal has created an asbestos abatement trade. The trade consists of specially licensed, properly equipped companies removing asbestos from modern structures and disposing of it according to regulation. In some cases, individuals such as Ronald Mancuso and his father and brothers take advantage of the niche market and turn an unfair profit by removing and disposing of asbestos without adhering to state and federal regulations.
The Mancuso family was charged with dumping asbestos illegally across New York’s Mohawk Valley, and in one case, of washing the dangerous fibers down the drain of a New York school at which they were completing an asbestos removal contract. While Ronald Mancuso’s jail term is still to be determined, his father and brothers are serving between three and six years each.
