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Companies Settle with EPA for Asbestos Violation at W.Va. Plant

Release Date: 12/7/1999
Contact Information: Ruth Podems, (215) 814-5540

Ruth Podems, (215) 814-5540

PROCTOR, W.Va. - Columbian Chemicals Co. and Project Development Group Inc., an asbestos removal contractor, have agreed to pay a $21,500 penalty to settle alleged asbestos violations at Columbian Chemicals’ Carbon Black Plant in Proctor, W.Va.

The settlement resolves EPA’s September 1998 complaint, which alleged that the companies failed to take the proper precautions to prevent asbestos from becoming airborne during a renovation. Asbestos-containing debris that had been stored in bags at the plant during a September 1995 project was not properly wetted and the bags were not properly sealed.

The settlement penalty takes into account Columbian Chemical’s cooperation in correcting this violation when it was brought to the company’s attention by an EPA inspector. As part of the settlement, the companies neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations.

Asbestos is a hazardous air pollutant that was once heavily used in insulation and other building materials. Prolonged exposure and inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can cause cancer and asbestosis, a serious respiratory disease. For more information on asbestos demolition and renovation requirements, please contact EPA Region III’s Asbestos Enforcement Section, 215/814-2111.