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ILLINOIS MEN SENTENCED FOR ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Release Date: 06/24/99
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1999
ILLINOIS MEN SENTENCED FOR ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Wade J. Bertelsen of Milan, Ill., and Robert D. Rapp of Cambridge, Ill., were each sentenced on June 18 to 15 months in federal prison by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Rock Island. Both men previously pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act by failing to follow required procedures for the removal of material that contained asbestos. Specifically, they admitted to willfully failing to adequately wet asbestos-containing material which was being removed under their supervision prior to the demolition of the Old LeClair Hotel in Galva, Ill. Regulations require that asbestos containing material must be wetted before it is removed so that dust containing asbestos fibers will not become airborne. Inhaling asbestos fibers is a known cause of lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis,” and mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division; the Illinois Attorney General’s Office; the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; the Illinois State Police; the Moline, Illinois Police Department; the Milan, Illinois Police Department; the Marion, Iowa Police Department; the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; and was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.R-65 ###
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