Asbestos Filled Bags Found In the Middle Of City NeighborhoodHartford, Connecticut - Officials at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) believe that, in an attempt to save money, someone dumped bags of asbestos containing debris with cancer-causing fibers in the middle of a Hartford neighborhood causing resident to be exposed to the dangerous material.
18 trash bags filled with insulation were removed by the Connecticut DEP from Chestnut Street and brought them to a secure landfill. "The public was exposed to the bags. Anyone could have walked over them or stepped on them. They were basically available for anyone in the surrounding area to come in contact with" according to Brain Emanuelson of the CT DEP.
Neighbors were outraged when they heard of the health hazards.
Nancy Walker of Hartford said, "There are many children growing up in this neighborhood and if they were exposed to asbestos, we aren't sure what the long term-effects might be."
According to residents, their neighborhood has been used as a dump before. Two surrounding fields have previously been used as dumping grounds for a variety of debris.
Denell Hicks, also of Hartford, commented "I think it's disgusting that people treat this neighborhood like a city dump. My daughter plays outside."
Residents say they want the city to do something about people throwing things like furniture, beds, couches and dead animals into the nearby fields.
