EPA fines Boise firm over asbestos
Friday, October 2, 2009 10:30 AM PDT
BOISE (AP) — Federal environmental regulators say they have fined a Boise contractor $36,000 for violating asbestos rules outlined in the federal Clean Air Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced the penalty Thursday against Precision Demolition and Abatement, an asbestos abatement and demolition contractor.
The sanction emerged after an October 2008 inspection of a renovation project in Boise.
EPA officials say violations included failing to inform when renovation work would take place, failing to keep asbestos wet and preventing asbestos from getting into the air outside the building.
Asbestos is a fiber used in building and construction materials in the 1960s for its ability to retard fires. But exposure to asbestos particles can lead to respiratory disease and lung cancer.