Randall Cornford and his corporation, River Junction Mobile Home Services, LLC, were charged with violating several asbestos environmental regulations after burning a number of mobile homes on a rural property in Crawford County.  

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) filed a complaint after discovering asbestos in the burned remains.  Cornford is also charged with filling a wetland with solid waste so that he could use the site as a storage facility for mobile homes.

The Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed and enforces regulations to protect the public from exposure to airborne asbestos, a hazardous pollutant that can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.  The regulations intent is to minimize the release of asbestos fibers during activities involving the handling and disposal of asbestos-containing materials.  Insulation and roofing materials used in older mobile homes contain asbestos, and demolition or burning causes the dangerous mineral to become airborne, putting the public and environment at risk. 

Cornford admitted to failing to follow required work practices before burning the mobile homes and illegally disposing of the waste.  He did not inspect for the presence of asbestos nor notify authorities about the burning, and did not have a license to operate a solid waste facility.  He and his corporation have been ordered to pay $65,500 in fines and other costs. 

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 25th, 2009 at 11:23 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.