34 Firms Cited for Safety Violations in Handling Asbestos

In a statewide crackdown on the asbestos transport industry, state health officials announced Tuesday that they have cited 34 California companies for violating laws that mandate safe handling of the cancer-causing substance.

The state Department of Toxic Substances Control is seeking fines totaling $400,000 from the companies, which handled 70%, or more than 333,000 tons, of the asbestos that traveled in or through California between June, 1991, and July, 1993.

State health officials say none of the violations posed an immediate danger to the public. But they said findings of their investigation were alarming because improper transport and storage was widespread within the industry, which handles asbestos removed from houses and other buildings.

“Inhaling asbestos fibers is a clear danger to public health, and it’s imperative that companies engaged in the transport and treatment of asbestos waste do so properly and safely,” said William F. Soo Hoo, director of the state’s toxics control department.

The violations were found during a computerized check of hazardous-waste shipping records over the 25 months. The investigation was prompted in part by complaints by some asbestos companies that many of their competitors were violating state laws, said Ron Baker, a spokesman for the department.

The state is seeking the largest fines, just over $25,000 apiece, from Certified Environmental Transport of Fontana, which was cited for transporting and storing waste without a permit and 112 shipping-record violations, and CST Environmental in Anaheim, which was cited for operating without a permit and 240 record-keeping violations. The companies can contest the violations and seek lower fines.

Asbestos--which can cause lung cancer and other serious respiratory diseases when tiny fibers are inhaled--was widely used as insulation and soundproofing until the early 1970s.

Most of the alleged violations involve expired permits, inadequate records tracking the asbestos or improper storage. In many cases, the companies were storing asbestos for longer than allowed or in excessive quantities.