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PA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT CONVICTED FOR HIRING UNTRAINED TEENAGERS TO REMOVE ASBESTOS
Release Date: 07/24/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 1998
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT CONVICTED FOR HIRING UNTRAINED TEENAGERS TO REMOVE ASBESTOS
David Farley of New Bethlehem, Pa., was convicted on July 16, by a jury in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh on one count of violating the Clean Air Act by improperly removing asbestos from the Red Bank Valley High School in New Bethlehem, Pa. Farley, who was supervisor of the Red Bank Valley Schools, hired untrained individuals, including teenagers, to remove floor tiles and glue that contained regulated asbestos-containing material (ACM) from the high school between Aug. 1, 1996 and Aug. 10, 1996. Federal workplace standards for worker protection were not followed during the removal. In addition, the ACM was improperly collected, processed, packaged and disposed of. Exposure to airborne asbestos fibers can cause people to develop a lung disease known as “asbestosis” and lung cancer. When sentenced, Farley faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Pennsylvania State Police with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center.
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