Newsroom
All News Releases By Date
ILLINOIS MAN PLEADS TO ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Release Date: 02/19/99
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: FEBRUARY 19, 1999
Wade J. Bertelsen of Milan, Ill., pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Rock Island, Ill., to violating the Clean Air Act by failing to follow required procedures for the removal of asbestos-containing material. Bertelsen admitted that he and workers he supervised willfully failed to adequately wet asbestos-containing material which was being removed from 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. When sentenced, Bertelsen faces a maximum sentence of up to five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both. 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-15 ###
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.
