Kentucky the Latest State to Plan Asbestos Cleanup
By: LegalView | Posted: 05th August 2009
Asbestos site cleanups are seemingly more common in recent months. After two high profile federally mandated cleanups took place in Libby, Montana and Spokane, Washington, another asbestos cleanup site was scheduled in Kentucky. The Spokane cleanup was scheduled after it was confirmed that a nearby manufacturing facility was producing insulation contaminated with asbestos from a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana, the same town covered in a fine layer of asbestos dust. As asbestos exposure presents a serious health concern, many towns potentially contaminated with asbestos have begun testing or contacting their local authorities.
Libby, Montana was the site of one of the largest cleanups announced in the past year; the town was literally covered in a fine dust containing asbestos after years of nearby mining. The dust was contaminated with asbestos and had caused over 200 asbestos-related deaths in the small town. It soon gained Federal attention and a cleanup followed shortly thereafter. An investigation followed into the activities of the company in charge of the mine and additional testing was announced for the aforementioned Spokane, Washington site.
Recently, another similar cleanup was announced, this time in the state of Kentucky. The site in question was a former electroplating facility, previously known as Deena Products. The company was involved in the manufacture of lighting fixtures and production was halted in the 1980s. The structures were felled earlier this year and much of the metal was stripped from the site and reclaimed. Upon official inspection and testing of the remaining building materials, it was announced that asbestos was found to be present on site. However, since there is such a large volume of contaminated material and since the site has essentially unrestricted access, it has been declared an environmental emergency clean-up site. This declaration allows the local government to receive additional funds from sources that would otherwise be unavailable in order to speed up the process. And, indeed, this particular site appears to be in need of a dedicated cleanup crew with a broad funding base; the combination of large amounts of asbestos contaminated materials coupled with the open accessibility of the site lead to an extremely dangerous conclusion.
Asbestos exposure is a serious hazard. Inhalation of asbestos fibers leads to many conditions, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Oftentimes, patients diagnosed with mesothelioma are given a grim prognosis and medical treatments designed to combat this chronic illness are expensive and may not be covered by conventional health insurance. Those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer due to asbestos exposure should think about the possibility of legal action; the development of a mesothelioma lawsuit could potentially provide enough monetary compensation to cover treatment costs and improve the quality of life experience for an individual or their family.
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Tags: 1980s, health concern, high profile, insulation, serious health, cleanup, building materials, deaths, asbestos exposure, asbestos dust, local government, local authorities, spokane washington, lighting fixtures