Colorado Man Faces Violations for Illegal Storage of Asbestos
James Robert Soyars, Jr. was indicted last week for violations of the Clean Air Act, specifically on nine counts that included failure to put warning labels and dispose of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) properly. Soyars’s company, Talon Environmental, supposedly removed the asbestos after being hired to perform asbestos abatement at three different local businesses that were undergoing renovations.
Under the Clean Air Act, any materials containing asbestos are required to be properly bagged, labeled and taken to a designated disposal site for hazardous waste. Instead, Soyars directed employees to take the debris to a public storage space he had instead of disposing it and furthermore failed to put any kind of warning.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was once widely used in construction up until the mid 1980’s, so most buildings undergoing renovations require some sort of abatement. Because asbestos is now known to present a significant risk to human health, it is considered a hazardous air pollutant and falls under federal guidelines for removal and disposal. Asbestos, if inhaled, can cause mesothelioma, a painful, fatal malignancy that develops in the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen years after exposure.
Soyars, if convicted in federal court, could face up to five years in prison and serious fines. Many question whether a penalty of five years or even paying hefty fines is enough of a consequence when there is so much profit in the construction business. Some argue that such disregard to public safety should be much more strict in order to really motivate all builders, construction and abatement companies to follow the legal regulations.
