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CALIFORNIA DEMOLITION COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Release Date: 10/05/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2000
CALIFORNIA DEMOLITION COMPANY PLEADS
GUILTY TO ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Damille Metal Supply Inc., (Damille) of Huntington Park, Calif., pled guilty on September 18 in U.S. District Court in San Diego to violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) by unlawfully removing asbestos-containing material. Damille demolishes buildings to obtain scrap metal. While demolishing an ammonia and nitric acid plant in El Centro, Calif., between October 1996 and January 1998, Damille violated CAA regulations when it failed to ensure adequate wetting of the asbestos material before removal, maintaining the wetness of the material until disposal and containing it in leak proof wrapping after removal. Failing to follow CAA regulations can cause microscopic asbestos fibers to become airborne and inhaling the fibers can cause lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis” and mesothelioma which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. Damille could be fined up to $500,000 when sentenced. This case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the California Air Resources Board and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
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