Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Albania Deleon, owner of Environmental Compliance Training, Inc. and Methuen Abatement Staffing, faces sentencing next week from charges of hiring hundreds of undocumented workers to remove asbestos and falsifying documents claiming they had completed the proper training to do such work. 

 

Deleon was first charged with issuing false asbestos removal training certificates, lying to the state and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), evading payroll taxes and worker’s compensation insurance premiums, and paying employees under the table. Federal authorities first arrested employees in November of 2006. In March of 2008, Deleon was indicted on 28 federal charges, and later convicted on all charges in mid-November.

 

By the mid-1980’s, asbestos was known to cause serious diseases, such as lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. In response, the EPA established regulations regarding the removal of asbestos requiring trained professionals to inspect for the presence of asbestos and properly repair or remove the toxic substance. Schools issuing such certificates require accreditation. Deleon’s asbestos-removal training school, now closed, was the largest in the state of Massachusetts.

 

Deleon provided false documents to hundreds of employees, who then proceeded to remove asbestos without any proper training, protection, or safety measures. These workers are at high risk of developing an asbestos related disease. Generally, symptoms of these diseases do not appear until 10 to 40 years after exposure. The workers employed by Deleon will have few avenues for asbestos attorney representation, medical compensation, or treatment options if they are to develop asbestosis, mesothelioma or lung cancer in the future. 

 

The EPA is hoping Deleon’s sentencing will send a strong message to companies and individuals involved in asbestos abatement to abide by federal standards and to operate in ways that protect the safety of workers and any others who are at risk of exposure.