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Chicago Warehouse Owner Indicted for Illegal Asbestos Removal
Release Date: 07/18/2003
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(07/18/03) John D. Crededio, in Chicago, Ill., was indicted on July 10, in U.S. District Court in Chicago on charges that he was responsible for an illegal asbestos removal project at his warehouse in 1999 in violation of the Clean Air Act and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. Specifically, the charges allege that the defendant failed to notify the Illinois EPA at least ten working days in advance of the removal, failed to adequately wet regulated asbestos-containing material (RACM) prior to its removal, failed to ensure that removed RACM was kept wet until collected or treated in preparation for disposal, failed to seal stripped RACM in leak-tight containers while wet, failed to properly label containers of stripped RACM, and failed to ensure that persons hired to remove the RACM were properly accredited. Improperly removing RACM can lead to the airborne release of asbestos fibers. Inhaling such fibers is a known cause of lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis,” and mesothelioma which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division and EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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