James Robert Soyars Jr. of Denver, Colorado was fined $435,000 and sentenced to six months home detention for violations of the Clean Air Act. Back in October, Soyars pleaded guilty to two felony counts of failing to deposit asbestos-containing waste at a regulated waste disposal site in a timely manner. As the owner and certified asbestos abatement supervisor of Talon Environmental Inc., Soyars instructed his employees to place asbestos waste at Public Storage for nearly a year between 2005 and 2006. The bags were not labeled properly, nor were the vehicles transporting the hazardous waste properly marked.
Asbestos is a toxic mineral that was once commonly used in building materials because it was a cheap insulator and fireproofing material, but asbestos exposure is responsible for dangerous illnesses like asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Handling, removal, and storage of asbestos materials from older buildings are strictly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help protect the environment and public health.
To read more about this story, please visit: KMGH Denver