A local environmental clean-up firm was slapped with a citation following what said to be the improper handling of asbestos at Myrtle Point High School.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality hit the firm with a $48,000 penalty a month ago, for failing to properly wet friable asbestos material during a summer asbestos removal project at the school.
Koos Environmental, the asbestos abatement contractor, was also penalised for failing to use a negative pressure enclosure while conducting the removal on pipe insulation. The nature of this specific type of removal required the firm to use the wet-system to reduce the potential of dangerous asbestos fibres being released into the air.
When the deadly material is not wetted, the DEQ says the firm put their workers at the high risk of exposure to dangerous asbestos fibres— the material known to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and of course, mesothelioma.
This week, Koos Environmental appealed DEQ’s citation and will soon meet with state staff to discuss options for resolving the penalty.
Source : http://theworldlink.com/news/local/improper-asbestos-cleanup-at-high-school-results-in-citation/article_0b814972-5ece-11e3-b567-0019bb2963f4.html
