Mesothelioma and Asbestos

A federal grand jury in Chattanooga indicted two Tennessee demolition as well as salvage companies as well as three of their owners as well as supervisors for the illegal demolition of the former Standard Coosa Thatcher plant. The plant had been contaminated with asbestos that was either not removed prior to demolition or removed in an illegal manner. The illegally removed asbestos was thrown into unfastened debris piles as well as exposed to the elements. According to the indictment, the owners as well as supervisors tried to cover up their actions by lying to federal authorities as well as falsifying documents.

Watkins Street Project LLC, its owner Donald Fillers as well as its supervisor David Wood were indicted along with Mathis Construction Inc. as well as its owner James Mathis. The 11-count indictment charges them with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government as well as to violate the Uncluttered Air Act, violating the Uncluttered Air Act’s asbestos work-practice standards, obstructing justice as well as making incorrect statements to distinguished agents from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Incase the defendants are found guilty, several of the charges each come with a maximum prison sentence of five years as well as a fine of $250,000, although the obstruction of justice charge carries with it a maximum prison sentence of 20 years as well as similar fines.

The EPA has determined that there is no protected level of asbestos exposure. Exposure to asbestos can lead to asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, mesothelioma as well as other humorless illnesses. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that attacks the protective lining surrounding the lungs as well as other organs.

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