A North Andover, Massachusetts woman is facing a possible 230 years in prison after being convicted on several counts of fraud. Albania Deleon, 41, taught classes at Massachusetts’s largest asbestos removal training school, Environmental Compliance Training. It has been found that between 2001 and 2006, Deleon performed illegal and fraudulent acts in the classes she taught. Worksheets and tests were provided to participants with answers already filled in. Participants needed only sign their names to pass classes and exams. Deleon welcomed illegal immigrants into her classes as well, without reporting these individuals to proper authorities.

The US District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts branch, found that when participants were passed through the training program Deleon employed them as asbestos removal specialists by paying them under-the-table. Payroll forms and reports were fraudulently filed to hide these arrangements.

During the six years Deleon fraudulently trained at Environmental Compliance Training, an estimated 65 to 80% of her students did not receive proper training.

US Environmental Protection Agency regulations covering asbestos abatement require contractors engaged in such work to be properly trained with appropriate licenses or certificates on hand, depending on the specific state. Asbestos removal, disposal and clean up is all to be done in a manner that benefits the health and safety of the American public while protecting the quality of American air.

Asbestos fibers are known to cause fatal health conditions including lung cancer and asbestosis. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by asbestos fibers that affect the lining of lungs and other abdominal cavities. Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period and a short life expectancy following diagnosis. Mesothelioma treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but there is no known cure.

In November of 2008 Deleon was found guilty on twenty seven counts including mail fraud, payroll fraud, making false documents, conspiracy to make false documents, hiring illegal aliens and encouraging illegal aliens to remain in the US.

In a press release Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said, “Albania Deleon put communities at risk by issuing fraudulent asbestos-removal training certificates to hundreds of untrained workers.”  She continued, “This is yet another example of great teamwork and dedication of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, U.S. Marshals Service and our own special agents who protect the American people from environmental crimes.”

Deleon fled the state following her trial, but was found in Santa Domingo over half a year later. Her sentencing is scheduled for March.

Illegal and criminal activity continues to grow out of asbestos use in the US. While use of the disease-causing chemical has slowed greatly in recent decades, individuals and companies willing to cut corners in asbestos work have grown.

One New York man is now serving 6 years in prison and must pay $20,000 in fines after illegal and fraudulent asbestos removal. Even after his conviction he continued to run the company illegally—dumping asbestos in unapproved locations and reporting fraudulently on job completion papers.

Asbestos has been a long time building material favorite of the US and many countries around the world. With its relatively low cost and strong, resistant qualities, asbestos has made it into countless buildings and structures constructed between 1920 and 1970 in countries where the material was used.

Weapons and munitions, shipbuilding, plumbing, oil and fuel refining and residential and commercial construction are just a few of the industries to profit from asbestos over the years. However, growing health concerns began to make headlines, and asbestos use all but stopped in the 1980s. Health and environmental regulations were created and have been maintained to protect and enhance quality of life for the American public in response to the threat of asbestos.

Unfortunately, after decades of asbestos use, its mass removal is not an option. If enclosed in some material, dangerous asbestos fibers are not a threat; but if exposed, these fibers can cause fatal respiratory illnesses including mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused almost solely by asbestos. There are many mesothelioma treatments available, but no cure. Average life expectancy following diagnosis of mesothelioma is eighteen months.

As asbestos containing materials begin to age and wear, homeowners and companies hire specially trained asbestos removal professionals to take potentially hazardous materials from their homes, offices, and facilities. These contractors are held to high standards for removal and disposal of asbestos materials including HIPAA regulated clean-up to certify all harmful dust is also gone.

Asbestos removal services are not cheap—for the hiring party or the contractor. Corners are being cut on all sides to gain profit, and the public is paying the price in tax money and health hazard potential.

An asbestos attorney in New York, Joseph Belluck takes upholding asbestos regulations seriously. Belluck believes “companies hired to abate asbestos must be held to the strictest standards.” Not only does Belluck think asbestos criminals should be punished accordingly for putting public health at risk, but that tax payer costs for clean-up should be factored into fines payable.

In a recent study Japanese researchers compared asbestos use to mesothelioma cases at a country level. Worldwide asbestos use was high between 1920 and 1970. These years of use were compared to mesothelioma deaths between 1994 and 2008, corresponding with the cancer’s long development period.

Mesothelioma is caused almost solely by asbestos and is characterized by a long latency period between asbestos exposure and demonstration of symptoms. Twenty to fifty years encompasses a normal expected development time for mesothelioma. When symptoms do begin, diagnosis can be further postponed as the coughing, wheezing and lung fluid typical of mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or other treatable respiratory conditions.

A rare cancer, mesothelioma affects lining of abdominal cavities, particularly the lungs. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers can begin a mutation process in otherwise healthy cells. This process grows into the irregularly patterned tumors of mesothelioma. An estimated fifteen to twenty thousand cases of mesothelioma occur annually around the world; three thousand of those in America.

When symptoms are properly diagnosed, mesothelioma patients have several treatment options. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are all cancer-direct mesothelioma treatments. However, as there is no cure for mesothelioma, palliative care is a growing choice in mesothelioma cases. Palliative care focuses on pain management and quality of life for the patient.

The Japanese study showed that the US, Russia, UK, Germany and Japan used the most asbestos between 1920 and 1970. The eighty-nine countries included in the study collectively used over sixty-five million metric tons in the same time period. These eighty-nine countries comprised more than eighty-two percent of the global population in 2000.

Unfortunately, an important discovery by the researchers told of unreported mesothelioma cases throughout the world. Many of these unreported cases came from the top fifteen counties in asbestos use, including Russia, Kazakhstan, China and India. As asbestos use continues in developing countries the need will rise for adequate safeguards against mesothelioma and treatment options for future patients. Without accurate reports, administrators and practitioners will be unable to properly care for the rising number of mesothelioma patients.

Co-author of the study, Ken Takahashi, of University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, said “Our most important finding is the magnitude of unreported mesothelioma in countries that use asbestos at substantial levels but report no cases of the disease.” Takahashi and other study authors hope to encourage discontinued asbestos use and mining as well as encourage international cooperatives to share knowledge in the fight against mesothelioma.

Asbestos continues to stir up the environmental, health and legal arenas across the United States. As contractors cut corners, the public is exposed to toxic fibers, and accusations are made, asbestos is the center of much attention.

This is certainly the case in a current Toledo, Ohio mystery. In the past two months a combined sixty bags of asbestos waste were found dumped illegally in the city. One deposit was made in East Toledo in an alley off of St. Louis Street, while another was made in an empty North Toledo house.

A more recent dump of twenty-nine bags was found on Champlain Street just in the last two weeks. Ohio Protection Agency and city of Toledo have brought a case against the illegal dumping and are now searching for suspects involved. Although the materials seem to be from same or similar sources, no one party has been indicted.

Asbestos fibers are a public health threat, causing lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer almost solely caused by asbestos fibers, which after being inhaled can begin a mutation in lung lining and lining of other abdominal cavities. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but no cure.

Materials containing asbestos are common in building supplies and are present throughout the country. While intact, components containing asbestos pose no threat, but once exposed, due to wear and tear or demolition, asbestos fibers become airborne and dangerous.

Removing asbestos requires certification and special licensing. In Ohio, an air pollution control permit is required to dispose of asbestos material in approved landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act defines strict parameters for use and removal of asbestos as fitting with America’s responsibility to maintain and promote US air quality. These requirements are often associated with higher costs, leaving room for fraud and deceit in work and records.

Jail time and fines are delivered seriously to anyone breaking air quality laws and putting others at risk. Ohio Protection Agency and Toledo officials are committed to finding the responsible parties and bringing them to justice.