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Calif. transportation agency fined for violating asbestos laws

Release Date: 03/16/2006
Contact Information: Mark Merchant, (415) 947-4297

( 03/16/05 San Francisco ) SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined W.C. Maloney, Inc. of Stockton, Calif. and the California Department of Transportation $7,700 for an alleged violation of the federal Clean Air Act asbestos regulations.

In 2003, the California Department of Transportation hired W.C. Maloney, Inc. to demolish the Adobe Road Overcrossing Bridge located at Interstate 5 and Adobe Road in Red Bluff, Calif.

The U.S. EPA and California Air Resources Board inspectors found that Maloney and the California Department of Transportation failed to submit a written notification of its intention to demolish it to the EPA before demolition began, a violation of the federal Clean Air Act.

“Because asbestos poses such a significant threat to human health, the EPA will vigorously enforce the federal regulations to ensure that companies that work with asbestos follow the rules,” said Deborah Jordan, director of the U.S. EPA’s Air Division for the Pacific Southwest Region.

Asbestos is a known carcinogen that the EPA has determined is a hazardous air pollutant. It presents a significant risk to human health as a result of air emissions. Individuals exposed to asbestos fibers can contract illnesses such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.

For more information visit: https://www.epa.gov/asbestos