Marco Island, Florida has reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency after a four year ordeal that unfolded after an infrastructure re-engineering project was conducted improperly by one of the city’s contractors. Quality Enterprises, the contractor chosen to widen sewer lines and improve a highway several years ago, came under investigation after an anonymous tip accused them of incorrectly handling asbestos waste. The allegations claimed that asbestos laden pipes were broken up and disposed without the special regard required for such materials by state and federal regulations.
All in all, six violations of the Clean Air Act were reported. The accusations included: the improper inspection of an area containing asbestos, failure to have an asbestos hazard trained staff member on site, failure to remove asbestos before aggravating the material, and failure to dispose of asbestos as soon as practically possible. Quality Enterprises was also accused of not handling the materials properly even though they were aware that it was a dangerous health hazard.
Regulations and restrictions surrounding asbestos materials were put in place to protect the health of both construction and demolition workers as well as the general public. While asbestos has been used in a variety of different ways in the construction and engineering industries for more than a century, its toxicity has moved closer and closer to center stage over the past twenty-five years.
Asbestos causes several serious and fatal diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and various respiratory ailments. The EPA attempted to ban the material from use in the 1980′s, but was overpowered by a powerful, threatened asbestos industry fueled by both heavy industry and national defense contracts. Nowadays, the material is legal throughout the United States but its use is heavily restricted. Special licenses and careful procedures are required when handling asbestos containing construction materials.
The settlement reached between Marco Island, Quality Enterprises and the EPA will hold Quality Enterprises financially responsible for the asbestos hazard without requiring either party to admit guilt to the Clean Air Act infractions. The penalties for the six infractions are just $82,772, a fairly small price to pay after four years of deliberation.
Frank Recker, the chairman of the Marco Island City Council, felt that holding the contractors technically responsible instead of the city that agreed to hire them was an important victory for Marco Island.
“It was Dr. [interim City Manager Jim] Riviere’s and my mission,” said Recker, “to get the world to understand we didn’t think the city was financially responsible for anything.”