Officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are investigating allegations from Posen Construction employees that they were told to handle asbestos pipe, and to saw and crush it up, without proper protection and then ordered to dump the asbestos materials into a lake. The employees, along with former employees of Posen Construction, claim that their jobs were threatened if they didn’t comply. Sawing or crushing asbestos-containing products releases asbestos fibers into the air, and breathing those fibers can cause mesothelioma and other serious illnesses. Because it is so dangerous, the law requires that very specific procedures are followed to dispose of it safely. After the public complaints started, Posen apparently initiated an asbestos training program. After Posen Construction built the embankment for a new bridge on the Imperial River, engineers found asbestos waste buried along the river and reported it to Bonita City officials. Michael Schook, the supervisor who allegedly gave the orders to remove and dispose of the asbestos, was convicted in Michigan last February for environmental degradation and improper asbestos handling. He was arrested again in August on six felony counts for violations of Michigan’s water protection rules, and similar charges for improper stormwater handling were brought in Florida in September, for which Schook paid a $500 fine.
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