Asbestos Abatement Kicks Off in Rural

Smaller communities, like Warren, Pennsylvania, are relying on private partnerships to comply with the EPA’s March 2024 asbestos abatement directive.

“ROY (Revitalization of Youngsville) is extremely grateful to the foundations and individuals who have supported us,” said John Papalia, president of the organization. “We are humbled by the generosity of the community and are fortunate to be able to work with many key partners to get to this point.”

ROY was able to secure the property earlier this year and has the goal of demolishing the building and bringing a public plaza to that location at the corner of Railroad St. and E. Main St. Papalia said the first phase – demolition – is expected to be completed by the end of fall.

The total project for this phase is roughly $100,000, including the purchase price, asbestos removal, and demolition.

A combination of the 2024 ban, which was mentioned above, and a 2019 Supreme Court decision has made asbestos abatement a requirement instead of an option for property owners.

Generally, property owners are legally responsible for any trauma injuries, such as falls, or long-term diseases, such as asbestos poisoning, that occur on their property. However, before 2019, a unique defense, the bare-metal defense, was available only in asbestos poisoning cases. Property owners were not legally responsible for damages unless they actually knew builders used asbestos.

However, the Supreme Court invalidated that defense in 2019. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. So, here is the new pre-abatement process.

If a building was constructed before 1980, it probably contains asbestos, most likely in attic, plumbing, and/or electrical insulation. These owners must conduct air tests. If that air test detects any asbestos in the air, the property owner must go to steps two and three.

Step two is asbestos removal. This activity is very dangerous because the contractors handle asbestos. This activity is also very destructive because contractors must break into walls and ceilings to extract asbestos. Then, the contractors put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.

Frequently, large, urban counties pay some of the asbestos abatement costs. But small, rural counties don’t have the funds. Therefore, they must partner with private organizations.

Step three is asbestos disposal. Incineration is the preferred hazardous waste disposal method. But asbestos is fireproof. Only select disposal facilities handle asbestos, and these facilities are not cheap.

Asbestos abatement prevents future poisoning, but it does not erase prior poisoning diseases. It certainly does not fully compensate victims and families. Only a nationwide mesothelioma lawyer can do that.

Mesothelioma is a particularly nasty form of a very nasty disease (lung cancer), mostly because mesothelioma is so difficult to diagnose and treat.

These tumors develop between the thick membranes of the mesothelium (the layer that separates the heart and lungs). As a result, the tumor grows undetected, often for more than 50 years. During this latency period, doctors usually have no reason to perform cancer tests. These victims usually have no lifestyle or genetic markers.

As mentioned, only a few kinds of tests detect mesothelioma tumors anyway. These tests are quite expensive, and doctors practically never order them.

Since the tumor is so large at the time of diagnosis, it is impervious to standard cancer treatments, like chemotherapy drugs and radiation treatments. As a result, doctors cannot surgically remove the cancer. In most cases, they can only make these victims comfortable.

Prior to diagnosis, an asbestos exposure lawyer connects potential victims with designated testing centers. In other words, potential victims who partner with lawyers have a better chance of beating cancer.

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced nationwide mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.