04/25/2011 // Chicago, IL, USA // Mesothelioma Lawyers – Cooney & Conway // Cooney & Conway
Philadelphia, PA (Asbestos Attorneys News) – The US Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Arsenal Associates, owner of Arsenal Business Center, in Philadelphia, to comply with the asbestos regulations of the Clean Air Act to ensure that workers and others are not exposed to asbestos and the danger of contracting the deadly diseases exposure can cause.
It also named the site’s property management company, Hankin Management, Inc. in the March 31 order, which took effect on April 6
The EPA action is based on its earlier finding that renovation and demolition work at the site violated the asbestos rules of the Clean Air Act.
Asbestos-related conditions—particularly mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that strikes the protective lining covering many of the body’s organs—can be triggered when asbestos is inhaled. Mesothelioma lawyers representing victims of asbestos exposure say the health risks are heightened during renovation and demolition work, when asbestos is easily disturbed and particles can escape into the air.
The Clean Air Act violations cited by the EPA include: failing to adequately wet all asbestos-containing material that was slated to be removed from the site, failing to ensure that asbestos-containing material remained wet until collected, failing to properly dispose of the material, and failing to provide the EPA with adequate notice of demolition or renovation projects involving asbestos.
The Clean Air Act violations were discovered during a series of inspections conducted at the Philadelphia site by the city’s Department of Health Air Management Services (AMS) and the EPA between September 2010 and March 2011. Those inspections turned up asbestos—and the lack of proper steps to mitigate its dangers.
Asbestos attorneys say that violations like these are not rare, and, in fact, are all too common. While the dangers of asbestos exposure are well known, safety regulations can be costly and time-consuming to follow, leading some property owners and managers to skirt the rules. The result: Money is saved and deadlines are met, but there’s a needlessly heightened risk for asbestos-related diseases.
Mesothelioma remains a particular concern. The cancer has no known cure and while it can take many years to develop, mesothelioma is typically not detected until it is in an advanced stage, when a patient’s prognosis is grim. Many mesothelioma patients succumb within a year of diagnosis.
While mesothelioma-asbestos attorneys have seen great success obtaining large—and often multimillion-dollar—verdicts and settlements against those who knew of asbestos dangers but did little or nothing to protect others, mesothelioma researchers still struggle to understand and beat back the disease.
In the Philadelphia case, the EPA’s order requires Arsenal Associates and Hankin to take steps to address the violations and mitigate, as much as possible, any asbestos dangers the violations may have caused. All future demolition and redevelopment activities at the site must be in compliance with the EPA’s order—and in compliance with regulations specifically intended to protect the public from the hazards of asbestos exposure.
*This news story was brought to you by the mesothelioma lawyers at Cooney & Conway. For more than half a century, we’ve brought relief—and recovery—to those injured by the negligence or harmful actions of others. In the process, we’ve litigated some of the country’s most significant asbestos lawsuits, helping victims of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases get answers—and justice. For more information contact the asbestos attorneys at Cooney & Conway.
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