April 15, 2002—A Bedford Heights, Ohio man was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment on Feb. 21 for violating the Clean Air Act. The defendant was also ordered to pay $22,600 in restitution to the city of Cleveland for asbestos cleanup and to perform 208 hours of community service.
The defendant is the owner of U.S. Disposal, a rubbish hauling company. He failed to dispose of the 469 bags of asbestos-containing waste at an approved site, instead depositing it in an empty field owned by the city of Cleveland. The waste had been picked up from the Erieview Tower two years earlier.
The dumping of asbestos waste can release airborne asbestos fibers which, if inhaled, can lead to lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis” and mesothelioma which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities.
The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the city of Cleveland. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cleveland.
—provided by Environmental Support Solutions.
