NY City Misses Ten Years of Asbestos Fraud
New York residents are shocked at the lack of city oversight in regards to an asbestos inspector who reported false testing and documents for over a decade without being detected or stopped. Saverio Todaro, now 68 years old, admits that in some cases he never even visiting sites for which he signed documents saying that the properties were inspected and free of environmental toxins, such as asbestos and lead. With such stamps of approval, no protection or remediation was performed in construction, renovation or demolition.
Asbestos is a highly toxic substance that can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma when inhaled or ingested into the body. Asbestos does not pose a threat unless it becomes airborne, which occurs when materials are disturbed or damaged, such as in the case of renovations and demolitions. Due to the hazards of exposure, the federal government now has laws and regulations in place designed to protect homeowners, workers, and the general public.
Todaro violated all the Toxic Substance Control Act regulations and Environmental Protection Agency standards, despite being licensed. Monitoring agencies did not catch on to the fraud for years and only after hundreds of false inspection reports had been filed. Even after Todaro’s license was suspended, he continued to submit false inspection reports for four more years until finally someone became suspicious.
Todaro has shown little remorse, even though his actions most likely have caused many to be exposed to asbestos. Due to a long latency period between time of exposure and development of symptoms of mesothelioma, it will take ten to forty years before the extent of damage due to his illegal actions will be known. Todaro faces criminal charges and could face a sentence of up to five years.
As for the city, they say they now have a system in place in which this kind of fraud could not occur in the future. Investigations into the extent of this case continue.
