Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Two contractors, John Wood and Curtis Collins, were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in restitution for improper and inadequate removal and disposal of asbestos from jobsites in upstate New York. Another man, Mark Desnoyers, working as a licensed air monitor in conjunction with Wood and Collins, was also convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced in March for falsifying air samples taken at the construction sites where asbestos abatement was inadequately performed.

 

John Wood, owner of J & W Construction., was sentenced to four years in prison and must pay restitution of $854,166. Curtis Collins, owner of Adirondack Asbestos, was ordered to two years in prison and must pay restitution of $114,903. Both were also ordered to three years of supervision after release. 

 

Both men intentionally inadequately removed asbestos from construction sites and then disposed of the toxic substance improperly, dumping some on a farm in Willsboro. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asbestos, when left intact and in ‘good condition’ does not pose a health risk. However, when disturbed, asbestos releases fibers into the air that can then be inhaled, which can later lead to the development of serious diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.

 

Wood and Collins not only impartially removed asbestos, leaving some behind, they also disturbed it so that fibers and dust were released into the air, thereby putting all in the contaminated areas at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. They were in direct violation of the Clean Air Act and EPA’s standards for proper removal of asbestos. 

 

They then used the services of Mark Desnoyers, a licensed air monitor, who falsified air samples taken from the sites, claiming all asbestos had been removed and air quality was safe.

 

Asbestos was once widely used in building construction and as a protective fabric due to its fire and heat resistant qualities and insulation properties. Since the mid-1980’s, the use of asbestos has been banned in the U.S. and many countries worldwide. There is now widespread awareness of the danger of exposure to asbestos, with the inhalation of the carcinogenic fibers leading to incurable diseases, such as mesothelioma and other forms of lung cancer. 

 

The EPA has strict guidelines for the removal and disposal of asbestos containing materials, and for monitoring air quality during and after construction that involves the removal of asbestos. All three men in these cases violated safe standards.