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PA ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL LEADS TO MULT. CONV.

Release Date: 03/27/97
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PA ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL LEADS TO MULT. CONV.

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1997

ILLEGAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL LEADS TO MULTIPLE CONVICTIONS

On March 10, in the U.S. District Court in Louisville, Ky., Barri Shurelds of Philadelphia, Pa., was found guilty by a jury of the improper removal and disposal of asbestos in violation of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA). Five co-defendants previously pleaded guilty on February 28. The defendants, Sean Shurelds of Camden, N.J.; Sam Robinson of Philadelphia, Pa.; Jose Eusebio of Jersey City, N.J.; the IES Lead Paint Division; and its parent corporation, IEMC Environmental Group Inc.; all pleaded guilty to violating the CAA by removing regulated asbestos-containing material from the Hess Department Store without following applicable federal regulations that prevent exposure to workers and the general public. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can become trapped in the lungs, which could leading to lung cancer and a lung disease called asbestosis. As a result of the improper asbestos removal, the owner of the store, Crown American Corp., was ordered on March 10, 1993, to conduct an emergency cleanup by the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection. The clean up cost Crown American approximately $1 million. The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection.

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