Workers Accepted Asbestos at Non-Hazardous Dump Site
Albuquerque, New Mexico - A worker at the Eagle Rock Convenience Center in Albuquerque claims that other employees at the non-hazardous waste site have been accepting materials that contain asbestos, putting him and others at risk for asbestos exposure.
According to a story on KRQE-TV News, the employee who made the allegations – an employee with the Albuquerque, New Mexico Solid Waste Department – says that management ignored his claims for months, so he finally took his concerns to the Office of the Inspector General, who launched an investigation into the matter.
The inspection concluded that some workers at Eagle Rock did indeed accept waste materials that contained asbestos, including 9x9 floor tiles as well as other asbestos-tainted building materials. Furthermore, the Inspector General’s office discovered that there were no procedures in place to screen for the presence of asbestos in any materials brought to the dump.
Acting City Solid Waste Director Jill Holbert said they hadn’t focused on asbestos at the site because they don’t accept commercial demolition loads. However, because many private citizens engage in do-it-yourself projects, it’s possible that they would encounter asbestos materials during renovations and that they would later bring these items to the Eagle Rock Center for disposal.
Holbert notes that when the Inspector General’s office was notified of the concerns, they took immediate action including meeting with employees and teaching them to recognize the hazardous material.
“We trained them in identification of asbestos, asbestos awareness as well as waste screening procedures for asbestos and then a contingency plan so if they do find it what should they do to follow up,” Holbert said.
In the meantime, Holbert believes that there wasn’t enough asbestos to cause concern. Some employees, however, are worried about the presence of airborne asbestos from damaged asbestos-containing materials at the dump. Airborne asbestos can be inhaled and the dust becomes lodged in the lungs, eventually causing diseases like mesothelioma. Experts claim that even a small amount of asbestos exposure is dangerous.
