PEER calls for criminal investigation concerning asbestos at Grand Teton National Park

Oct 7, 2009

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has filed a complaint calling for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to open a criminal investigation concerning illegal asbestos disposal at Grand Teton National Park. According to the complaint, park managers were removing asbestos-coated water pipes from the park to replace them with new pipes back in 2001. The old asbestos-covered pipes were piled alongside the road, uncontained, where visitors were exposed to the toxic substance. The complaint alleges that the pipes were relocated several times before they were removed from the park, piled on campfire grates that could be found throughout the park. The asbestos-contaminated materials were then allegedly transported in uncovered dump trucks across state lines to an open dump in Idaho by employees lacking asbestos certification.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was called in later that year and cited the park for unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. Park managers then hired a certified asbestos contractor to clean up the remaining asbestos, but PEER alleges that OSHA only addressed worker safety, not visitor safety, and that some asbestos still remains, exposing park visitors to the carcinogen. Asbestos exposure can lead to a number of serious illnesses like asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.

PEER has called for an EPA investigation because the facts are not all known. The group wants to know how much asbestos still remains in the park and whether the public is still in danger. A spokeswoman for Grand Teton National Park stated that the park is compliant with federal regulations for hazardous materials, and that it will cooperate with the EPA if an investigation is launched.

For the full story, go to PEER.org.

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