Oregon pipe excavation project results in asbestos penalty
Black Butte Ranch Corporation has been fined $750 by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a friable asbestos abatement project. Neither Black Butte Ranch nor its employees are licensed to conduct asbestos abatement activities, but they removed nearly 26 linear feet of sewer pipe that contained asbestos. The pipe was broken into pieces, loaded into a dump truck and unloaded onto a tarp. After that, the workers used a backhoe to make the pieces of pipe even smaller, causing the asbestos to become friable and likely to become airborne. Broken pipe pieces were left unlabeled and unpackaged on the ground for four weeks. Black Butte Ranch Corporation was given an October 12 deadline to appeal the penalty.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can lead to mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer and other diseases. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure.
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