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NEW YORK MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL

Release Date: 05/18/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2000

NEW YORK MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL

Shlomo Gabay of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty on May 5, to violating the Clean Air Act by failing to follow procedures required for the safe removal of asbestos. The defendant admitted that during the summer of 1998, he directed employees of his business, Upstate Home Improvement, to remove dry asbestos-containing material from pipes, furnaces and other surfaces at an industrial facility in Rochester. Asbestos must first be wetted before it is removed so that asbestos fibers do not become airborne. Inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer and a lung disease known as “asbestosis” and mesothelioma, which is an invasive cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. When sentenced, Gabay faces a maximum prison sentence of up to five years and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the New York State Department of Labor Asbestos Control Bureau and the New York State Attorney General’s Office. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Buffalo, N.Y.

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