“Internal investigators faulted the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for years of delays in completing health studies needed to guide the cleanup of a Montana mining town where hundreds of people have died from asbestos exposure.”
“Internal investigators faulted the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for years of delays in completing health studies needed to guide the cleanup of a Montana mining town where hundreds of people have died from asbestos exposure.”
The EPA is late on timelines it establishes with no penalty. They don’t accept that or any excuses from the regulated community.
Asbestos is all natural. In places where it is used as part of wall covering, it’s cheaper to paint over the old surface than remove the asbestos and remeadiate the surface. But the EPA doesn’t care about cost/benefit.
Hundreds have died from asbestos exposure? But the EPA can’t come out with a tox report after five years?!! Everybody knows what is killing the residents, what could be the problem? The mayor doesn’t seem to be sure as the AP when he says he wants to find the cause of the deaths. Why doesn’t he know about the asbestos? But while the “complex endeavors” of the studies are grinding their way through the bureaucratic grist mill, the EPA is dropping bundles of money to clean up the “contamination”. What the contamination is they are apparently not sure, since the studies are still not done. Don’t let any facts get in the way of doing something, anything.
Asbestos is not a priority for Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, so this and similar projects go to the bottom of the pile.