April 4, 2000
Workers in protective suits finish an emergency cleanup today of asbestos that was disposed of illegally.
And now, a Utah County asphalt company is facing serious legal problems, including a criminal investigation.
Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst has details.
They've cleaned up most of the asbestos, concentrating on the part that presented the most immediate health concern, at a company storage yard near some homes in Spanish Fork.
But Valley Asphalt still has another site to clean up, and a lot of questions to answer.
Most of the asbestos was found scattered in an unfenced storage yard along a public highway. Definitely not the approved method for storing something you don't want to inhale.
Bryce Bird/Utah Division of Air Quality: "ASBESTOS IS A KNOWN CARCINOGEN."
Originally it was buried in a gravel pit near Elberta. State inspectors armed with a video camera showed up two weeks ago, following up on an anonymous tip.
The asbestos was in bricks that were used as a heat-shield for two hot-asphalt storage tanks.
Company workers allegedly removed the bricks in 1997 and buried them illegally.
For some reason, they dug them up last month and moved most of the material to the storage yard in Spanish Fork. There are still remnants of asbestos brick scattered through the gravel pit.
State investigators have cited the company for violating environmental laws every step of the way. Theoretically they could assess fines ranging into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on various factors.
Bryce Bird/Utah Division of Air Quality: "HOW MUCH THEY KNEW? WHEN? AND THE WILLFULNESS OR NEGLIGENCE THEY USED IN DEALING WITH THE MATERIAL."
Officials from the parent company in Alabama say they don't know how or why it happened. But they responded with an emergency cleanup.
Dave Carothers/Company Spokesman: "AND WE'RE LOOKING INTO IT AS WELL, AND TRYING TO PLEDGE OUR FULL COOPERATION TO THE GROUPS THAT ARE INVESTIGATING."
BRYCE BIRD/UTAH DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY: "WE HAVE SEEN COOPERATIVENESS FROM THE COMPANY. THEY DID DEAL WITH THE ISSUE QUICKLY."
Could something like this have happened just by accident? Or did somebody know they were breaking the law?
Carothers: "I DON'T WANT TO SPECULATE ON THAT."
That's presumably the issue in the criminal investigation: Did they know they were breaking the law when they did it?
The Attorney General's office confirmed to us today that an investigation is under way, but they won't release any further details.
What exactly did the company workers supposedly do that was against the law?
Allegedly, almost everything. They didn't use certified asbestos workers. They didn't properly wet the asbestos and bag it. They allegedly hauled it without labels and dumped it in unapproved locations. In all, 10 violations, each of which is theoretically subject to $10,000 a day in fines.
