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PA FORMER SUPERVISOR ADMITS ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Release Date: 03/06/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1998
FORMER SUPERVISOR ADMITS ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL
On Feb. 26, Nicholas Lee Fortner of Gladstone, Mo., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City to one count of illegally removing asbestos. Fortner is the former supervisor for Major Abatement and Demolition Inc., in Kansas City. He admitted that he was involved in the illegal removal of unwetted asbestos from underground steam pipes during a renovation project in 1995. Wetting is important because it protects workers and bystanders by preventing asbestos fibers from becoming airborne and entering the lungs where they can cause lung cancer and a lung disease known as “asbestosis.” Remediation of the abandoned asbestos-containing material cost $100,000. When sentenced Fortner faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Kansas City Air Quality Control Division.
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