Asbestos is an extremely hazardous material, and businesses have strict regulations with regard to dealing with the disease-causing substance. Russell Stewart, former business owner of a demolition company in Cleveland, Ohio, has learned just how serious the U.S. government is about protecting the public from exposure to asbestos. Stewart is currently an inmate at Trumbull Correctional Institution serving a 21-month sentence. He was also fined almost $900,000 in restitution. His alleged crime was improper asbestos removal while working on the Stark Ceramics manufacturing plant demolition project that spanned 500 acres.
Alleged Unlawful Working Conditions
In October 2012, Stewart was given instructions regarding asbestos by a site inspector. The inspector had discovered evidence of the highly dangerous material. Stewart was given a clear directive to immediately devise an appropriate plan for getting rid of the asbestos. Proper procedures would have meant ensuring that neither the workers at the site nor others would be endangered by possibly breathing asbestos into their lungs.
Stewart allegedly refused to cooperate. Instead, he supposedly continued to crumble and pulverize asbestos-containing panels to powder, as he had been doing previously. The criminal charge against the owner said that the site was littered for weeks with debris from the pulverized panels. Throughout that time, the asbestos particles were exposed to being blown in the wind. Workers at the site and residents in the surrounding area were thus exposed to asbestos, which causes a range of life-threatening and serious diseases.
The Dangers of Asbestos
“Asbestos” is a name for six naturally occurring minerals. The substance is made up of bundles of durable fibers that are heat-, fire-, and chemical-resistant. They do not conduct electricity. The fiber bundles can be separated into thin threads that are remarkably useful for numerous industrial and commercial applications. There are very strict guidelines on the use of asbestos. Regulations are primarily aimed at protecting those who work with asbestos, since they are most at risk.
Exposure to asbestos can occur on the job, in homes, and in communities. If the manufactured products that contain asbestos are disturbed, tiny asbestos fibers can be released into the air and breathed into the lungs. Asbestos fibers become trapped in the lungs and cause health problems over a long period of time. When the fibers accumulate in the lungs, scarring and inflammation can occur, resulting in difficulty breathing and various other health issues.
Asbestos is classified as a known human carcinogen. In other words, it causes cancer, according to numerous agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Asbestos causes a cancer called mesothelioma as well as asbestosis, a deadly inflammatory condition that causes coughing, shortness of breath, and permanent lung damage.
Exposure to Asbestos During Demolition
Stewart allegedly confessed to engaging in improper asbestos demolition and a failure to remove the dangerous substance from the Stark Ceramics site in a proper and timely manner. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, an investigation revealed that asbestos was present throughout that site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finally funded cleanup, which came with an $800,000 price tag.
The cost to those who may have been harmed by breathing asbestos fibers from the demolition site is impossible to calculate. A portion of the $30 billion-plus in trust funds available to individuals who become ill because of exposure to asbestos may ultimately be awarded to workers and nearby residents exposed at the Stark Ceramics demolition property.
